The Girl Down the Hall
by AddieBlake
Summary: A different AU story about if Derek lived only a few doors down from Meredith at college. Mixture of characters will make appearances, and potential interwinding storylines with the show. First time writer, hope you enjoy!
1. Letterbox Meeting

**First time writer, not 100% sure what to write up here! Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, all belongs to Shonda Rhimes!  
The story is based around if Meredith and Derek had gone to college together, and what may have happened with their friendship.  
Any advice/comments/questions/criticisms/general love would be greatly appreciated!**

She wasn't sure how long she'd been out for, or if it was the blunt impact of her face hitting the floor that caused her to wake. Her face stung. Her ears rang. She didn't know what to do next; it had never gotten this bad before. She heard her mother's angry footsteps down the hall, walking further away from the foyer where she was now lying. It was so abrupt, and it had become worse over the past few months. Her mother was changing; her outbursts were becoming more frequent. Meredith found herself becoming more concerned about her safety, but right now, she couldn't handle being in the same house as her. Holidays are meant to be relaxing. College students aren't meant to look forward to going back to study. These were the best years of her life, and she hated being home.  
_It's only a few days_, she told herself.  
She heard angry screams from the kitchen and slamming of pots. Meredith knew she had to get out of there.

She pulled herself off the floor. Her face was wet with a mixture of tears and blood. In shock, she pushed herself from the house, hobbling out the front gates. Her view was blurred and her breathing was uneven. Her mind was racing, and she had no idea where to go. She abruptly turned to head left when she hit something. Something warm. It surrounded her, she tried to pull away, not comprehending what was happening.

"Meredith, hey! I didn't know you lived here!" He said, obviously lying. "Woah, what's wrong, are you ok?" he stepped back, taking a look at her face. She wiped her eyes quickly with the back of her hand and looked up. It was Derek. She smiled, obviously overcompensating. He lived just down the hall from her at college and although they took most of the same subjects and tutes, they weren't particularly close.

"Yeah, fine, I was just… getting the mail." No one could know about what had happened, they wouldn't understand.  
"… Right." His mouth agreed, but his face said otherwise.

She put her hand up to the side of her face and realised that she was covered in blood.  
"Must have scratched myself." She looked back at the house and back to Derek, but she musn't have wiped the look of terror off her face as Derek met her look with a concerned one of his own.  
"Why don't you come with me? I live only a few streets away. Mum has been baking and we can never eat it all… We could even do some readings together." He smiled, putting his had on her shoulder, trying to make her feel comfortable. They often found their way into the same group of friends, but had never done anything alone together, much to his dismay. He only slipped in the idea of work so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable. He'd been waiting for this day for a long time.

She looked down at her clothes. A fitting tshirt and baggy tracksuit pants, bare feet. She contemplated going back inside, but knew that she would rather run than potentially face her mother again.  
"I should probably…" her voice trailed off, she looked back at the house, hearing more banging. Moving her neck hurt. She felt her check sting. _It's going to bruise_, she thought to herself.  
_That's going to be hard to explain.  
_"Oh, of course, you're probably busy…" He tried to back track, but she stopped him.  
"I… I… Um… I don't have anything to bring or… I…"  
"Just yourself is fine." He smiled. Although he's stopped running a while ago, his heart was still beating at a hundred miles an hour. She looked at him, realising that that he was in full gym gear, glistening with sweat. Somehow, he still managed to smell good.

"How far away do you live?" She asked, starting to walk. Her eyes were still watering; a blunt hit in the face would do that.  
He smiled, "Not too far". He was overjoyed. _She_ was coming with _him_.  
They walked slowly as Meredith tried to conceal her sniff to make it seem like she was ok.  
"So, how often do you run?" She asked.  
"Daily… Give or take."  
"Always past my house?"  
"Only on Wednesdays." He lied.  
"Today is Tuesday." She laughed.  
"You're lucky I made an exception."

They arrived at his house, and as he opened the door, a strong smell of freshly baked apple pie wafted through. A house that smelt like baked goods was foreign to her. Her mum never baked.

"I'M HOME!" Derek called into the house. "17 km! No stops!" Derek said, beaming, grabbing a bottle of water from the shelf by the door. Meredith heard footsteps down the stairs behind her. A thin girl, no more than 18 jogged down the stairs,  
"Wow, I think I owe you $5." She laughed and turned to Meredith, "Hi! I'm Amy, Derek's girlfriend," Derek almost chocked in his water.  
"Kidding. Younger sister. You should have seen his face… " Pointing at Derek, laughing "He must really like you." Meredith let out an awkward laugh, which turned real when she turned around to see Derek covered in water he'd just choked on.  
"He must." She agreed with a smile, exposing the bruised and cut side of her face to Amy.  
"I'm Meredith, by the wa-"  
"What happened to your face?! Are you ok?" Amy asked coming closer. Her sudden change in voice gave Meredith a fright. Derek answered before Meredith could get a word in, "Just tripped," he replied, "bathrooms down that way", he said, pointing Meredith down the corridor. "Give me a minute, I'll just go change and grab some antiseptic." He said, taking the stairs two by two. His hair slowly bounced as he ascended to the top.  
"Well, it was nice to meet you. We've heard a lot about you." Amy slid into the kitchen in her socks, opening the fridge whilst whistling.

Meredith just stood in the hallway a little bemused, before following his directions. Although their houses were almost identical: foyer, leading to the kitchen, stairs, hallway, Derek's house was much more homely than hers had even been. The photos lining the stairs described happy family memories; a juxtaposition to the old, assorted oil paintings and watercolours lining the stairs of her house. She believed they were only still there as no one had bothered to take them down after her mother had bought the place some years ago. No one really had any attachment to them.

Meredith made her way down the hall, and stumbled across the bathroom. She faced the mirror and began to clean off the dried blood, when she heard the front door opening again.

"I'm home!" A friendly voice called out. She heard her and Amy exchange greetings, and then some quiet whispers. Meredith had a feeling they were talking about her. From only one story up, Derek figured the same. He came bounding down the stairs, wearing a dark blue tshirt and a new pair of running shorts. He jogged past his mum, giving her a quick kiss, almost tripping over his feet as he made his way backwards down the hallway, grinning, holding a bottle of betadine and a box of tissues in his hands.

"What's up with him?" their mum asked Amy.  
"There's a girl", she grinned.  
"… Where?" she asked, bemused "down the hall?"  
They both looked at each other, and slowly crept down until they were standing right outside the door.

"This doesn't look very good." Derek said, inspecting Meredith's cheek as she perched on the side of the bath. "Potential fracture even. This must have been some pretty intense mail-getting." He joked. She smiled, becoming more embarrassed by her story, which had some serious exposed holes. Curiosity took over and Derek's mum stuck her head around the door, pretending not to realise Meredith's presence. She was taken aback by what she saw, and needless to say, Meredith was sufficiently embarrassed by the communal gathering in Derek's bathroom.

"Oh, hello, you must be-" her eyes stopped, starring at the gash and bruising on Meredith's face. "I'm so sorry, I.. uh…", she didn't quite knew where to look or what to say.  
"Mum." Derek said, "Calm down. This is Meredith. She just fell over, on the way to the mail box, and I saw her when I was out, and we started talking, so we thought we'd come over for some of that cheesecake you were going to make."  
"Yes. Right. I'll just go start that now. Needs a few hours to refrigerate, but I'm sure you will find something to do." She smiled and backed out of the room.

"Well, I'm never going to improve that first reputation" Meredith smirked.  
"At least she'll remember you."

For the first time since being in Derek's house, Meredith felt self conscious. She looked down to see what she was wearing, and was horrified. If she knew she was going to be going out today, she would have put something nicer on, but she didn't, so they were just going to have to deal with her in her daggies.

They made their way back out to the kitchen where Derek's mother and sister were quietly gossiping. Derek signalled for Meredith to be quiet and he snuck up behind his sister and picked her up for the floor, while roaring in her ear. She nearly hit the roof.  
"_That _is for before." She slapped him with a teatowel, and trying to wrangle her way out of his arms, still panting after such a shock.  
"Mum. Tell him to put me down!" She whined.  
"_She _told Meredith _she_ was my girlfriend." He whispered in his mum's ear. Their mum just laughed. "Put her down, and you. You're cheeky", she said, pointing a spoon at Amy. "Now, Derek, introduce me to your friend." She said, smiling. Turing to Meredith, she signalled for her to sit at the bar in front of where the three of them were working in the kitchen. "I'm sorry about before, I… just didn't expect there to be someone in my bathroom, in… well, your state. Are you ok? How did you do it?"  
Meredith had to think quick. She smiled and replied, "I fell. On my ring. Flat on my face. I'm a bit of a klutz." All four sets of eyes drifted away from Meredith's face down to her hands which were on the bench. _Crap. _She thought._ I'd forgotten to put my ring on this morning._ _Now they know I'm lying. Crap. Crap. Crap. I _am_ lying, but what do I say?_ Her mind was racing, but no one pointed it out. They just kept working away at their tasks. Amy was tidying papers, their mum was spooning out cream cheese and Derek was drying dishes.

"Would anyone like some help?" She asked, trying to seem like a hospitable girl.  
"Oh, no! We're all fine. But you, would you like a drink or anything?"  
"No thank you." She replied, sweetly. Derek caught her eye and smiled. He could tell she was working hard at trying to seem polite and well mannered, when all he could remember was her being a bit of a dag.

"So," his mother tried to start up the conversation again, "You're at college together, are you thinking about going into medicine too, Meredith?"  
She nodded, pain spiked up the side of her face which made her wince. She didn't realised how much it hurt until now. Derek's sister saw her, and flicked her brother with some papers.  
"Meredith is in pain! Get her some ice." He felt terrible that he hadn't thought of the before. He jumped to the freezer and came and sat next to her.  
"Thanks", she replied, relieved for something cold. She could feel it starting to swell, and the last thing she wanted was to have to return to college with a swollen face.

As they sat in the kitchen and talked, Meredith realised how comfortable she'd become with his family. Within a few hours, she was even on first name terms with his mother. "Carolyn," she had said, "Call me Carolyn". His mother's maternal instincts were so strong she could virtually smell them. It was nice to spend an afternoon as a family, even if it wasn't her own.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Amy asked, smiling from across the room, "I think that Derek would like you to", she stuck her hand out to catch the apple he'd lobbed at her to get her to be quiet. She took a bite, "Thanks", she laughed.  
Meredith replied quickly, lightly shaking her head, "I wouldn't want to intrude…"  
"You're more than welcome here. I've got 4 girls, and always wanting more. Derek can walk you home after dinner." She was thankful that she was so welcome. Meredith wasn't much of a cook, and she knew that her mother would be out working at the hospital for a while, so she wouldn't be cooking either – not that she wanted to face her mother again anytime soon.  
"Dinner will be ready in about an hour. I just have to pop next door and have a chat to Bev." She glanced at the clock, "Kathleen said she'd pop around later on too." Meredith looked to Derek for an explanation,  
"Kathleen is my other sister."  
"It really is a full house, hey!" They smiled together. There was definitely something in this house she liked. And she liked spending time with Derek. This was something she hadn't really noticed before.


	2. Hello Mr McDreamy!

**I accidentally missed a bit off the end of the last chapter, so it's tagged on the top here- sorry everyone! Anywho- I own nothing, and I hope you enjoy this next instalment. Have a great day!**

The sun was streaming in through the living room windows as they passed through on the way to the bathroom to wash up.

"Mum likes to cook," he offered, "She really brightens up when we all come home, and suddenly every single one of our favourite foods appears in the fridge as if she's luring us to stay," he laughed. "We had fish for dinner last night - my favourite, and tonight I think is Amy's bolognaise… Cheesecake, mine, apple pie, Amy's." He laughed. "it's recipe, pardon the pun". He laughed at his own joke. Meredith was impressed.

"Cheesecake is my favourite too."

"We have something in common."

They retunred to the kitchen in happy silence. She was really looking forward to this meal.

As it became dark, she was sad she had to leave. They'd played a round of Trivial Persuit after dinner, and Carolyn had even offered Meredith a bed to stay in, but she knew she had better head home, just in case her mum was there. As much as she had hurt her both physically and mentally, Meredith wanted to make sure she was okay.

Derek grabbed a pair of slip ons for him, and a pair of Amy's for Meredith, and they strolled back to her house. The warm summer's breeze was beautiful. Matched with the light flickering through the trees, she marked this day as the best of the year, even with such a terrible beginning. As they reached her house she was almost sad to say goodbye. She thanked him for everything he had done, and told him about how much she loved his family. They shared a quick hug, being sure to hide her bruise away from him.

He began to walk down her drive as she stood watching from the front door.

"It's Wednesday tomorrow," he called back over his shoulder. She smiled.

"Indeed it is".

XXXXOXXOXXXX

As Derek made his way into the house, his mother and sister were just packing up the plates.

"So. How long have you been in love with her for?" his sister joked, getting straight to the point.

"She's a lovely girl", his mother agreed.

"I'm not, and yes. She is." He floated back up the stairs, still beaming after today. He'd gotten to know this amazing girl, and couldn't wait to run tomorrow.

XXXXOXXOXXXX

"I'm leaving!"

"You're going early… She won't be awake yet."

He turned around and stuck out his tongue.

The warm summer sun was out, and Meredith was more than happy to be out of bed. As she wandered around the house, she didn't quite know what to do. She settled on some pre-reading for next term, and where better to do it than her favourite spot, sitting right on top of the letter box. She'd loved sitting there ever since she was a little girl. She used to pretend she was a statue and wouldn't move an inch as people strolled her sun on her legs was a delight as she flicked open her 5kg text book to viral transmission. She lay, her legs hanging off the back, smiling as she read. She didn't even hear Derek coming up the street.

"Hi, happy Wednesday!" he said. Thrilled she was outside and he would't have to keep running past all day.

"Hey!" she said, turning away from her book. She was amazed he still looked so proper after running.

"My family loved you, by the way." She laughed. _Well, that was a first…_ "Mum was wondering, well, Amy was, and me, I suppose, right. Of course me. Me the most, more than the others, I was um wondering, if you'd like to come over for, um, dinner tonight. Mum's cooking for an army at the moment, and she'd be thrilled if I… Well… Um, you don't have to, but," he was blabbering, but stopped as his gaze shifted to the open front door of her house, "Oh, if you wanted to spend time with your Mum, I know you don't see her much…" he trailed off again. Little did he know that it was this last comment that set her previously undecided mind in his favour. Even after knowing her for less than a day, Meredith knew that she'd much rather spent time with Caroyln than risk her mother's mood this week.

"I'd, um, love to. Your Mum is quite the cook." She replied, moving to sit with her legs dangling over the edge. Her hair fell from the loose bun, perfectly encapsulating her face. The sun shone through her mousy hair, and she looked up to meet his grin.

"Fantastic." She'd never seen him smile so wide. His happiness was infectious, as she soon found herself smiling too. With a soft laugh she asked what time she should meet him at his place, when she stopped,

"I don't actually remember where your house is." She laughed. Yesterday had been such a blur, she had just followed his lead. She raised her hand to the side of her face. The swelling had gone down, but she still looked pretty battered. She might have to considering investing in some thick foundation before heading back to college. It'd probably be easier than having to explain to the thousand questioning eyes.

"I'll pick you up, around 6? Is that ok?"  
"Absolutely perfect. It's a… date." _Crap. Shouldn't have used that word_. She barely knew him, but she felt so comfortable.

His heart skipped a beat, but it just made him smile more- if that was even possible.

"It's a _date_." He laughed, turning back to the street as he strode off towards home. He could feel her watching him, so, like any man-on-show, he made sure his strides were perfectly even, and his gate was flawless. He'd never payed this much attention before, but this girl made his insides do funny things.

Meredith just sat in the sunshine. This feeling, she questioned herself, this feeling she'd never felt before, what was it? She didn't know, but she liked it. She lay down starring up at the sky. She went to brush a stray hair or two off her face but missed, hitting herself in the cheek. The immense pain brought her back to reality. She almost whimpered, as she slid from the letterbox, taking her books back inside. Grabbing a bag of frozen peas, she flopped onto the couch and switched on the tv. 6pm couldn't come soon enough.

She awoke at around 4. _How long have I been asleep for?_ She asked herself, looking around the room. Everything seemed to be just as she left it. She put her head back down and enjoyed the serenity for a while. Absolute silence was something she rarely experienced at college. As much as she loved it there, she really loved being alone. You could never fully seclude yourself at college, but in saying that, it meant that you were never lonely. Sometimes she'd sneak off at night and just sit in the middle of the tree filled campus alone, wrapped in darkness. She wasn't a loner, but now she really realised how much she'd missed this. This peace. She rolled over. _Wrong way. Crap. Crap. Crap_. Her face. The pain brought tears to her eyes and she stood from the couch abruptly and trudged up the stairs. _Maybe a shower would help_, she thought to herself. If only she could stop smiling. It hurt a lot, but she couldn't stop it.

As she emerged from the shower, she wrapped a towel tightly around her and walked to her room. She hadn't bothered unpacking as she'd only have to repack in a few days. What she brought home with her was nothing more than a last minute ditch attempt as she'd woken up late before move out just a few days ago. The only clothes remaining at her mother's house were a collection of mismatched items, either too small or hideously out of fashion. She laughed. The first time she'd met the Shepherds she hadn't put any effort into her outfit by chance, and they accepted her with open arms. Why was it such an issue now? Because she _knew_ she was going. It was still warm out, but she knew the temperature would plummet after dark. Reaching into her messy duffle bag, she pulled out a plain tank and light cardigan and a pair of loose shorts. She hesitated but decided not to over think it, and moved back down to her previous position on the couch.

It dawned on her that she hadn't heard from her best friend and room mate in a few days, so she trudged back up the stairs, riffling through her bag once more for her mobile. She flicked it on, and scrolled down the contacts until she found her name. _Cristina Yang. _She hit the _send text message_ button as she quickly scribed a text

_Hey mah homie, Ok. I am kidding. Trying to sound all hipster and cool really isn't me. How are you? How are you enjoying our 'study break'? How's your mother-complex? Worsened? Haha. Not long to go until we're reunited over books once more._

She smiled. Ouch. _Damn it_. I thought being happy was a good thing. Cristina wouldn't agree, in fact she's not sure that pre-holidays Meredith would have smiled this much either. Cristina Yang was very different to her, but so similar in so many ways. People didn't expect them to be so close, but somehow they complemented each other perfectly. She didn't plan to enlighten her on how much time she was spending with Derek just yet, _Yang would just brush me off with a hair joke. Ha. Brush. Hair joke, _she thought to herself. She smiled again. _Damn it._

She threw her phone on her bed and noticed her house keys on the mantle. Swiping them off into her pocket. Treading carefully down the stairs as to not rattle her jaw. She glanced back at the clock. 5:00. One hour. She realised now she was becoming nervous. She'd never felt this way before, and didn't know what to do. _Only an hour to go_. Little did she know, just a few streets away, Derek was feeling the exact same thing.

He was more than smiling as he ran up his steep driveway, and jumped up the three steps to the front door. He twisted the knob, stepping into the foyer as Amy was wandering through to the kitchen holding her empty cereal bowl, still a little dazed from sleep. She smiled as she turned to her brother. She'd missed having him around. As her siblings each left for college, she didn't realised how much she'd miss them being together. Although she'd left home too and loved studying, she wished she'd see her big brother more. The idea of him finding a little happiness at college was warming, and she thought Meredith was perfect.

Amy noticed Derek's unphased grin as she slid dreamily across the floor slowly pushing her bowl into his hands. It wasn't until her face was less than 10cm from his chest that noticed what she was doing.

"… Hello Amy." He said smiling at the top of her head.

"Hey," she simply replied looking up at him. She cheekily laughed and spat out "Thanks for taking my bowl!" before running to the stairs taking them two by two. He laughed as he noticed her bowl in his hands, shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the kitchen. Amy stopped on the stairs to comprehend what had just happened. Her brother, Derek Shepherd, had just taken her dish to the kitchen, with no arguments, no fight, no payback. She had won. Scooting into the kitchen, she stood leaning against the doorframe and watched him standing at the sink with a glass of water in his hands, gazing off into the distance. She stood for close to two minutes watching him before he turned and noticed her presence.

"Yes?" he looked at her questioningly, shaking himself out of his daydream. She remained frozen, staring back at him. "Amy? What?" She stood frozen, smile on her face, watching him. "Mum! I think there's something wrong with Amy… She won't stop starring at me." Amy sidelined into the kitchen booth still smiling, hugging her knees to her chest. Derek went to raid the fridge when his mother waltzed through the entrance way into the kitchen.

"It's so nice to have you two home. Kath will be here in," she glaced at the clock, "Ten minutes." She turned to face Derek, "Good run? There's pancakes in there under the foil, and I think there's enough fruit and stuff for a smoothie, if you're interested." She pulled his head down and planted a kiss on his temple, "and a shower wouldn't go astray." He laughed. Food, cleaning and love. That was his mother in a nutshell.

"So, Meredith…" Amy started, "When do we get to see her again?"

Derek turned to face her, holding his plate under his chin, his fork full of pancake and berries. She just gave her a knowing smile. "That soon, huh? So, how long have you been dating?"

"We're not dating, Ames,. We're… friends." He knew he wanted more, Amy knew he wanted more, and his mother was the most certain of them all.

"Did you invite her over tonight? " Caroyln smiled. She liked Meredith, and she liked seeing Derek this happy.

"I'm picking her up at 6." Amy laughed, sliding out of the booth as she pulled out her hairtie, flicking it at Derek's chest.

"I'll be sure to… vacate the area after dinner," she said winking, licking her lips seductively. His mother smiled knowingly, raising an eyebrow. Derek met her glace with an awkward grimace as he turned to place is plate in the sink, hoping she would have stopped starring by the time he was finished. He turned to face the stairs, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Delicious as always, Ma. Now, shower time."

"… MAKE SURE IT'S COLD!" Amy hollered from up the hall, followed by a loud laugh. All he could mutter was a grimace. _They're going to embarrass me for sure._

As Derek moved upstairs he checked his watch. 12:10. Plenty of time. He wandered into his room, instantly noticing how it needed to be tidied up. He wanted to impress Meredith, and certainly piles of freshly laundered clothes, although inevitable and clean, really wasn't the look he was going for. He flicked open the lid to his suitcase, pushed the clothes in, and slid the case into his wardrobe. Satisfied with his work he flopped onto his bed, starring up at the white ceiling. Never did he think this would be how he spent his holidays. He and Meredith weren't close at school. They seemed to move in and out of the same friendship group, occasionally crossing paths. He always wanted to get to know her more, but never had the opportunity. Occasionally they'd chat in line for dinner while they waited for their other friends, or they'd exchange smiles in the hallways. He loved that smile. There was something about it that made him feel warm, and comfortable. It was like he was home. He never made a big deal of it; noone would understand, especially Mark. Mark was his best friend, but they had very different ideas when it came to women. He laughed just thinking about it. Mark was a harmless manwhore, but a great guy as a mate. Although Derek would never perform his antics, they often made him laugh, and sometimes even cringe in embarrassment for his mate. Mark was never embarrassed, though. "Any story is a good story. Especially if someone is naked", he would always say. Derek would just laugh. Even though he wouldn't be letting him know about seeing Meredith anytime soon, he hadn't heard from Mark, who was currently half way across the country visiting distant family. He stuck his arm out, clumsily feeling around his bedside table for his phone, typing a quick and vague message about his mother's cooking spree, and about the lack of work he'd gotten done since he was with his family again. _Vague but good. No questions need to be asked about specifics._ He thought to himself. Satisfied, he stood and headed to the shower.

He returned feeling fresh and clean, with a reply from Mark fresh on his screen.

_… There's a girl. Who is she?_ How the hell did he know!? He always knew. When it came to women, he had the nose of a blood hound.

_The only girls are my sisters and my mum. "_And Meredith." He added aloud,  
_Calm your farm bro._

"Far out that guy is good" Derek commented, but he really wasn't going to tell Mark anything just yet. He wouldn't understand.

Derek had spent the day lounging around home with his mum and two of his sisters, but he couldn't stop thinking about Meredith. Every now and then he'd phase out from the conversation, finding himself falling into this imaginative bliss; this new world. A world where he wasn't angry about his Dad's death, and Meredith was there with him. He was genuinely happier around her. Not just the kind of happy you are when you get a good test mark, but the kind of happy when you finish your final exam for the year, and you know you have four months of summer holiday bliss ahead. The kind of happy when you wake up, the sun is out, and although you've spoken to no one yet, you know that something unforgettable is going to happen. He was that kind of happy. He was crushing on her, and man, was he crushing hard. Whenever Amy would notice is concentration fade, she'd make a subtle joke about Derek's dreamy attitude.

"Check out Mr. McDreamy," she'd laugh.

"Earth to Derek!" they'd call, as Derek would phase back in smiling. There was just something about Meredith that he liked. At school she was often quite standoff-ish, and didn't open up to anyone. She was friendly, but calm. She didn't fuss too much about her appearance, or obsess about gossip or fashion, and Derek really appreciated it. He'd always wanted to get to know her better, and now, he though, is my perfect chance.


	3. Pre-dinner Meetings

**Welcome back! I've got a few chapters up my sleeve, so I though I'd do a quick upload to see if people are still interested! Thank you so much for the replies, I really appreciate it! Just a short chapter today, and depending on interest I'll look at posting another one sometime this week. I hope you all have a fantastic day. :) **

6pm. Meredith was perched on the end of the couch with an old movie playing in the background as she skimmed her virology notes. She was only doing this to pass the time. She had never spent time with Derek alone before, but she really enjoyed their time yesterday. She was beginning to realise that she was hoping it would be the start of something maybe even more than a friendship.

She heard a soft knock on the door, as she shut her book and jumped from the couch.  
"Derek," she smiled. "Come in, I'll just grab my shoes." She jogged up the stairs, and grabbed her silver platted sandals from the floor. The sole was splitting, and the buckles were fixed with rubberbands, but she loved these shoes. They were comfortable, and were definitely her favourite.

"Ready?"

"Of course." She smiled again. For a girl who doesn't smile much, she was sure smiling a lot. _I think Derek's family is rubbing off on me_, she thought as she felt for her keys her in pocket and shut the front door. She had no idea how long her Mum would be at the hospital for, sometimes it extended close to a week. Meredith thought she heard her Mum return in the early hours of the morning, but she was gone before she awoke this morning – only remains of her existence was a dirty coffee cup and plate in the sink. Meredith didn't mind, though. Their relationship was different to most other families, but she'd grown up that way, and didn't know any different.

As they walked together, they exchanged pleasantries. The conversation flowed nicely. The silences weren't awkward. The weather was perfect. It felts so right.

They soon arrived at his house, and once again, she hadn't noticed how it had happened. He pushed the door open as he called out to his families that he was home. A new face to Meredith walked into the entranceway.  
"Hi. Kathleen." She stuck out her hand, looking Meredith up and down.

"Meredith," she replied, shaking her hand warmly.

"Mum's in the kitchen, Amy is upstairs, and I am showering before dinner. Have fun, kids!" She called as she made her way up the hallway.

Derek smiled at Meredith, "Drink?" he asked, gesturing towards the kitchen.

"Please."

In the kitchen, Caroyln stood over the sink chopping carrots. She looked over as Meredith and Derek entered, greeting them with a warm smile.

"Meredith, it's so nice too see you again. Dinner will be ready in about an hour. Amy is upstairs and K-"

"Kath is taking a shower," Derek finished for her, "We should do some of that reading, shouldn't we?" Derek looked over to Meredith, "Considering it has to be done by next week…"

"Probably a good plan."

"We'll be up in my room."

"DOOR OPEN!" Yelled a voice from upstairs. "…HI MEREDITH!"

They all laughed, and Derek flushed with embarrassment, hanging his head a little.  
"One thing for sure, your family have very good hearing." At least Meredith found the situation amusing.

Ten pages into reading and 'Understanding Quizzes' in, Meredith and Derek flopped onto the floor, heads almost touching.  
"Uh. I forgot how boring this subject was."

"And this text book _really_ doesn't help."

The door swung open to Kathleen, eating an apple. Her dark, wavy damp hair gave her a fresh and relaxed appearance.

"CAUGHT… Oh. Damn. I was really hoping I'd be successful in that. Well, what are you doing anyway?" Looking down at the open text book and study notes, "Ew. I hated this subject. Is Dr Dernam still teaching? I swear he could put me to sleep better than a tranquiliser after a 38 hour shift in the ER."

"He does seem to have that effect on our cohort too…" Meredith agreed, nodding along.

"Oh, and does he still say the word 'emphatic' like, every second sentence? And 'probable', but pronounces it 'prob-ah-ble'? That used to get on my nerves!"

They both laughed. "Yes."

Kath walked around them and flopped on Derek's bed, so her head was between theirs as they sat up and leant on his bed frame. "So, how are you enjoying college?" She started. "Doing the family name proud at my alma mater?"

"Like always." He replied, smiling.

"And Meredith. You're at college with Derek too, yeah? Are you enjoying it aswell?"

"Yeah, it's great. They have such an excellent program."

"Not to mention the campus life. Some of those parties were crazy." Kathleen commented. She was right. Their campus was famous for the party atmosphere. Students with a strong work ethic from 8-5, and a strong party spirit for the rest of the day. Although Meredith wasn't ever the centre of any of these gatherings, but often went along and hung out in the back with her friends. The time they spent together, often involving tequila shots, was a lot more fun than grinding on the dance floor with drunken business and arts students.

"Oh. It's been about an hour. Dinner will be up soon, and we al know how much Mum hates it when we're not ready." Derek shot in, wanting to protect Meredith from the streams of questions that were sure to follow from Kathleen. As they trekked down stairs, they met Amy in the hallway.

"Get anything?" She whispered to Kath,

"Nothing. Derek shut me down."  
"We're just _too_ curious. Mum'll step up, no doubt." She laughed. Derek turned around and shot them a death stare and winked. They laughed louder as they realised he was onto them.


	4. Just Drive, Peas

**Another instalment! This chapter is quite long. I considered splitting it into two shorter ones, but I think it flows nicer as one. Thank you again for the reviews, I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy this one too. :) Have a great day!**

The rest of the week flew by, and soon it came time to return to college. Meredith had hitched a ride home with a friend, and was intending on catching the train back to campus. That is until Derek's mother got wind of her plan and insisted that her son give her a lift back with him.  
"I helped him buy this car for a reason," she said, "so, he can't refuse." Truth is, Derek was never going to refuse, and he was glad it was his Mum suggesting this as Meredith had a very hard time saying no to her. He'd enjoy the trip much more with his newest friend by his side. They had to be back by 4pm, so had planned to set off at around 10 that morning to be sure. He said goodbye to his family, and with a car stocked full of laundered clothes, and freshly cooked food for a family of five. His mother was sure to bake _and_ cook for Meredith too. "It's always nice to have home cooked food," she had told Derek, and she figured that Meredith wasn't going to be getting much from home.

Derek pulled into Meredith's driveway just after 10:30, walked up to her front door and knocked lightly. She pulled open the door whilst pulling her hair into a messy pony tail, dressed in a light cotton shirt and a pair of denim shorts. Her duffle bag was already at the door with a few odds and ends sitting next to it. She went to haul it over her shoulder, but Derek beat her to it.

"I still don't understand how someone as little as you, can carry something as big as this."

"It's all in the mind", she said pulling a silly face as if she was summoning spirits, "but seriously, I can take it."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He carried it back out to the car and placed it in the back next to his. He heard Meredith go back into the house and talk to someone in the living room.

"Mum, I'm off now."

"Right. Where?"

"Back to college. Remember? I told you yesterday. I have a few weeks and then exams, and then I'll be back and on summer break."

"I'm trying to watch a surgery."

"Yes, Mum. I'm going. Bye."

"Bye. Shut the door on your way out."

Meredith couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have a mother like Derek's. She couldn't help but notice how distant her mother was becoming – if that were even possible, and wondered if something was looming. Something terrible. She tried to shrug it off and smiled at her mother. Her eyes were met with a hollow smile, as if she was starring straight through her. Her heart sank, but she knew she couldn't dwell on it.

"… I… uh… love you Mum."

"Yes." She paused, "You too Meredith."

And that was it; as far as she would get until next holidays.

As she left the house, she quietly shut the door behind her after loading up her arms with the odds and ends that she'd collected. A pair of shoes or two that didn't fit back in her bag, and a new quilt as her old one wasn't keeping her warm enough. She had obviously not wiped the concerned and gutted look from her face as she slumped into the front seat next to Derek.

"What's up? Are you ok?"

"Fine, thanks for the lift. I could have gotten the train, the station is only a few minutes down the road."  
"I'm not dropping you at the station," he laughed. "It'll be nice to have some company, if you would humour me."

She smiled slightly, and moved her focus back out the changing scenery outside. Although she had enjoyed spending the past week with Derek, and discovered how easy it was talk to him and his family, she wasn't ready to divulge her childhood's traumas and scars just yet. She really hoped he'd drop the conversation so she wouldn't have to lie to him again. The only physical reminder was clearing up. Her cheek wasn't swollen anymore, and any redness could be hidden by makeup. It still hurt, both emotionally and physically, but if she managed to not hit herself in the face, the physical pain would be avoidable. _That shouldn't be too much to ask, should it? _She pleaded with herself.

She must have drifted off to sleep, as when she next looked at the clock it was almost 12:30, and from the change in scenery, they'd clearly left the state. She rubbed her eyes and turned to face Derek, blinking heavily.

"Welcome to the world of the living!" He laughed, "I didn't expect a small person like you could snore…"

"Just one of my many talents." She replied, embarrassed.

"It's no problem, quite cute actually."

_Great. More embarrassing, s_he thought to herself. Her attention had gone back to the scenery, but her mind was still on her mum. She was worried about her mum, but felt equally helpless. There was nothing she could do to help. A tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly brought her hand up to wipe it away before Derek could see, but she missed and hit herself in the face, causing a scream of agony._ Obviously it was too much to ask. _Derek swerved the car, and hit on the breaks so hard they squealed.

"Are you okay!?" He asked, pulling over to the side of the highway, turning off the ignition. She was holding her face in her hands, crippled over her knees, breathing heavily. He couldn't comprehend what had just happened so he undid his seatbelt and ran around to her side of the car, opening her door.

"Fine! Just hit my cheek. Must still hurt, that's all." She tried to brush it off, but it obviously wasn't going to go away that easily, unfortunately. She smiled, but the pain in her eyes couldn't be hidden.

"Next town, we'll stop and get some ice. It's not looking _fine_," He commented, running his thumb across her cheek bone, "you're a med student, you know that that kind of pain is not _fine_."

"It really isn't that bad. It just… gave me a fright"

"You and me both," he said, standing up and heading back over to the driver's side.

_Far out, Meredith. Could you have been ANY more subtle? _She asked herself. _Now obviously something is up, and he won't drop it._

Around 30 minutes later, they pulled into a small country town. The population looked no more than a couple of hundred as they found a supermarket, locked the car and headed in.

"Hungry?" Derek asked, pointing to a packet of plastic wrapped whole raw fish. She pulled a face, so obscure even she laughed. "Shall we settle on some peas? I'm not sure we'll be able to buy just ice, unless you want a party bag."

"Sounds pea-fect." _I didn't just say that._

"Pea-fect", he agreed with a glint in his eye.

As they walked through the supermarket pointing out silly things to buy each other on she shelves, Meredith finally felt herself relax. Derek's phone buzzed in his pocket, and he quickly pulled it out glancing at the number. He answered it, only briefly stopping to tell Meredith where he was going. "I have to take this, um, do you want to go grab the ic… peas, here's a 20. I'll just be outside."

"I can pay, you know. My face, my peas."

"My treat. Maybe we could eat them afterwards." She laughed at him, and strode away to the frozen foods section.

"… Why the hell are you buying peas?" The voice from the other side of the phone questioned.

"Amy. Hi. Meredith bumped her face again, and seemed to be in a lot of pain, so we thought we'd get ice, but you know, there aren't too many shops between home and college, so, we thought a supermarket was the best place. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. Mum just wanted to know if you'd gotten there ok, but, I'll let her know you're at the supermarket. Is Meredith okay?" She laughed.

"She seems a little tense, but I don't want to push it. I heard her saying goodbye to her Mum, and I think that something happened, but I don't want to seem too inquisitive and scare her."  
"Watch out for her Derek. She needs someone."  
"Of course I will."

"Good."

"Anywho, I'd better go see where Meredith has gotten to. Probably can't decide between split or shelled peas…" He laughed, " Give my love to everyone, and see you in a few weeks!"

"Shall do, bye Der."

As he hung up, he spun around to see Meredith starring quizzically at two bags of peas.

"I couldn't decide between _Winter Vegetables _and _Just Peas_. It's quite a difficult choice." She laughed.

"Called it. We shall get both, and tonight," he said, puffing out his chest, sticking his hand on his hip, "we shall dine like kings!" They both burst into a fit of giggles. Meredith linked his arm with his, as they walked royally to the cash register, pretending to wave to the crowds.

Close to two hours later and a bag of peas later, they pulled into the parking lot at college.

"Home sweet home, hey?"

"Something like that."

XXXXOXXOXXXX

As they walked through the halls together they were greeted by a number of friendly familiar faces. Although they'd been gone barely two weeks, a sense of excitement filled the hallways. Students were pleased to be back with their friends, with a bounty of funny family stories. Derek had insisted on taking Meredith's bag, but she had ultimately refused, threatening to carry his as payback. He had to give in because his was ten times heavier with the amount of food his Mum had added at the last minute. They walked together smiling and greeting everyone around them, and Meredith stopped at her door. Derek's hand brushed past hers, sending shivers up her spine. She spun to face him, heart beating like mad. All she wanted to do was jump him, but probably inappropriate with so many people around. She really didn't need to be the centre of the gossip right away. He smiled, and said he'd see her later as he continues just a few doors down to his room.

Meredith pushed open her door, swinging the bag off her shoulder onto the floor and flopped on her bed.

"Welcome back," a voice said from the other side of the room. Meredith jumped slightly then turned her head to see her roommate, Cristina, sitting on her bed surrounded by books. "I got sick of socialising so I though I'd get a headstart." She smirked. Only Yang would 'get a head start' on the first day back. "Good break? How's surgeon Mummy?"

"Oh. Don't even ask."

"A post-tequila story?"

"Yeah. This one requires some serious liquor. Long of the short, potentially fractured cheek bone." She grimaced at the memory, pointing towards her face. She'd lost her icepack after she started flicking the peas at Derek when he was singing at the top of his lungs to The Clash on the radio. It turned out to be way more fun than having a cold face, so in between flicking them across the car and eating them, she had nothing left.

"Ouch. Well, now you're back with your person, so…"

"Good to be back. How was your family?"

"As social as ever. Uh. It was almost enough to kill me."

" It can't have been that bad. They're probably just excited to see you."

"… Excited? Dude. What is up with you? Where's my_ Oh-family-doesn't-exist, woe-is-me_, dark and twisty Meredith? I miss old complain-y Meredith, you know, death to the world and all that."

"She's still here, I promise."

The girls continued to go about their own business, each in their own little world, until about half an hour later, when the serene silence was broken by a cheery knock at the door.

"Cristina, can you get that? I'm a bit stuck." She laughed, her head caught halfway between being in and out of a sweater she'd brought back from home. She had forgotten to take her hair out of the pony tail before trying to pull it over her head, and was now hopping around the room like a maniac. As Yang got up, she pushed Meredith onto her bed, and headed for the door.

In a fit of giggles, Meredith rolled from her bed, still stuck, onto the floor, limbs flailing.

Yang pulled open the door to Derek,

"Yang. Long time no see."

"About the same as everyone else in this madhouse,"

"Yeah, I suppose. Well, is Meredith around?"

"Why?"

"I have something for her?"

"Why?"

"… Who are you? Customs?" He laughed, "It's from my Mum. Is she here?" His eyes spotted around the room, resting on a pair of stray legs on the floor. She sat up abruptly, pulled her head as hard as she could through the hole, finally breaking free. She stood up, her hair messy from the jumper situation, and laughed almost out of breath. Cristina wasn't sure what had come over her friend in the past two weeks, but just looked between them and shrugged, swining the door open for one of them to catch and turned around a flopped back onto tbe bed and kept reading.

"Mum asked me to give you this," he held out a bag appearing to be full of baked goods, "If it's anything like mine, there's at least a whole cheesecake in there. She insisted after you mentioned it was your favourite."  
Meredith was shocked. No one had ever been this kind to her before.

"Oh. Um. Wow. Thank you." She looked like a kid on Christmas morning. "I can't wait to eat this. All of it. In one sitting." Her grin widened until she looked like the Cheshire Cat.

"I can imagine that. Anywho- Mark will be back soon, and he will undoubtedly have a magnitude of stories to share, I'd better make sure I'm unpacked before he is. But what time are you heading to the mess for dinner?"

"Not sure yet, I'm nearly done here, maybe six-ish?"

"Go together? It's always nice to guarantee a table with friends, especially on the first day back. I'll swing by then?"

"Perfect. And if you talk to your Mum, please say thank you very much from me. I… really appreciate it."

"Will do!" He called back down the corridor, flashing that dreamy smile.

Meredith closed the door and leant back on it. She couldn't believe his Mum had made her all this food. Her Mum had barely sent her to school with a packed lunch, let alone several different types of cookies, fresh fruit and a whole cheesecake.

"He's the reason!" She exclaimed, "… Why do you have… What? Why is his Mum cooking you food?" Yang questioned her, screwing up her face in a mixture of disgust and confusion.

"We hung out a few times in the holidays. Let's just say, he found me post _this_." She said signalling to her face.

"Oh, Derek knows Mummy-issues?"

"No, I was sure to hide it, but he knows something's up. Too kind to ask, but I can tell it's killing him. Now," she smiled looking into the bag, "Cheesecake or chocolate chip cookies?"

"Both."

"I like the way you think." Meredith smiled as she pulled out the food and dug around in their odds and ends draw for two forks. "So, families… they suck." She teased, smirking.

"That's more like it."


	5. Kath's Aftermath

**A short one to tide you through the week! Comments always appreciated! Have a great day. :)**

Dinner had come and gone, and it was breakfast again. Meredith had sleepily pulled on tracksuit bottoms and a hoodie, pulling open the door to the hall failing to see Derek already standing there. She yawned, almost walking into him again.

"You should really learn to look both ways," He smiled at her, "but I do enjoy the hug, even if it was accidental."

"Sorry. Tired makes me," she yawned "… tired. Breakfast is too early. You're too bright and shiny for this hour."

"I've been up since 5:30. Went for a run… did some weights… unpacked… But, I am headed to breakfast now. You too?"

"Ye-" she yawned again "-s."

She wearily drifted down the hall with Derek beside her, slowly waking up a little more on each step. By the time they'd reached the mess, she was awake, and hungry. They sat at an empty table and chatted over their food. It was nice for them to be alone, even if their alone was surrounded by another fifty students. Their table slowly grew as Mark joined them, followed by Cristina and a few other friends. As the clock closed in at 8:15, Meredith excused herself and headed back upstairs for a shower and to grab her books, before meeting everyone back downstairs for their much anticipated reuniting with the emphatic and prob-ah-bly still hideously boring, Dr Dernam.

They filed into the lecture theatre, Derek and Meredith walking together in the middle of the group. As they sat, they were both pleased to be seated in the middle of the row next to each other. Their company might make this slightly less of a painful experience. It was thirty minutes in to a two hour lecture, when Meredith had already tallied 37 _emphatic_s and 27 _prob-ah-ble_s. Then, he used them both twice in the same sentence, and she lost it. She tried to smother her giggles, but they were infectious. It made Derek laugh too. He placed his hand on her knee trying to stop her convusions, but this only made them laugh more. The content matter wasn't amusing so they couldn't pass it off as that. Meredith just shut her eyes as she tried to regain control over her body, and Derek pursed his lips pushing the air out slowly and calmly, but it all began again when they caught eyes. Everyone around them starred, and they were grateful that Dr Dernam didn't notice, or they'd have to lie, and neither of them were very good at that.

"What's with them?" George asked Cristina.

"Who knows… Must be something in the water. They hung out during the holidays. Turns out Hair-products lives a few streets from Mer."

"Oh." was all George could muster. Him and Meredith had met on orientation, and he had quite a crush on her, but was having trouble moving from the 'male-best-friend' category to the 'potential-boyfriend' category. He was certain she would ask him to buy tampons one day.

On the other side of the giggling girties, Callie asked Mark the same time.  
"… There was a girl," he noted, his eyes widening, "Derek's holiday girl must have been Meredith!" he whispered, quite loudly.

"A girl you say? Oooh." She replied, raising an eyebrow. "Derek's growing up!" Exchanging glances, they turned back to finish the lecture. There would be some serious interrogations occurring that night.

X X X

"Kathleen was right. How will I ever be able to finish this course now!? I can't make it though the rest of the semester."

"I'll be sure to let her know that." He laughed, nudging her shoulder as they lead the group out from the lecture. The rest of their friends trailed a good two metres behind them walking, just watching how the two interacted. It's as if they had know each other forever. As they walked they nudged each other back and forth, as if to be ricocheting off each other. As Meredith tried to get one back, she met Derek's strong body, tripping on the front of her sandal and almost falling in the bushes.

"Klutz!" Cristina called from behind, sniggering. Meredith stood, shrugged her shoulders and smirked back at her friend.

"Something is definitely up with them." She commented sideways to George. He replied with a grunt, shifting his attention over to Mark and Callie, who appeared to be having the same conversation. He just rolled his eyes; he'd try to ignore it for as long as possible.


	6. Prime Prac Partner

**Have a great week! **:)

It was the first Thursday of the month – Prac day. Recently the faculty head had decided it was time to trial a new system where instead of bi-weekly practicals, they'd have a full day in the lab undertaking 2 longer more in depth sessions in one. All other classes those days were cancelled, and the entire cohort undertook the same experiments over six labs. Meredith though it was impressive that they managed to timetable this all together. She didn't mind these days as she didn't technically have to do any intense note taking, and it was always hands on. It just really depended on who your prac partner was.

Last month she had gotten stuck with a boy not so affectionately known as Peeping Tom. He was a nice enough guy, but he was over enthusiastic and always stared at her chest. Not only did it make her feel uncomfortable, but a little creeped out. To top it off, this morning she'd forgotten it was a prac day and had thrown on a scoop neck singlet and pair of shorts before rushing down to breakfast having over slept. As she pulled on her lab coat, she looked down.

"Crap." She muttered. You couldn't see her shorts or her singlet, so it looked like she was naked.

She dropped her bag under the desk kicking it in, as she bent over to look into her cupboard filled with glassware and her lab manual. She pulled them out hoping that when Tom turned up she'd look engrossed enough that he'd assume she already had a partner. She heard footsteps coming up behind her as she leant further into the cupboard to reach the separation funnel that had rolled away.

"Got a partner?" A voice sounded.

_Damn it_. She couldn't lie. As much as he creeped her out, a part of her felt bad for him. She exhaled before slowly starting to migrate her way from the depths of the cupboard. "Well, I..."

"Not even for me?" Bang. She had pulled herself out too fast and hit her head. He felt a warm hand on her scalp. "Get off Tom." She said as she swatted the hand away.

"Tom, hey?" She turned and caught a glimpse of who was actually behind her.

"Oh." She laughed, letting out a sigh of relief. "No, I don't."

Derek still looking a little shocked by having his hand slapped away questioned who Tom was. "Wait... You mean _Peeping Tom_? Ha. That sucks." Meredith stood as Derek's gaze shifted down to her knees. "You don't exactly conceal much though, do you?" He winked. She was mortified.

"I forgot it was a prac day." She whispered.

"I don't mind," he smiled warmly, "I've ways wanted my lab partner to be naked. Pity this isn't Human Biology. Mark's really not my type..." Laughing, she turned to pick up the glassware and he joined her standing at the sink, giving everything a good scrub. No matter how many signs there were telling students to clean all glassware properly before leaving, the always had to wash it again themselves.

"Since when is it no pants day, Grey?" A voice called form behind them. One of Meredith's favourite parts of this new prac scheme was that it was entirely run by PhD students. It meant good conversations, actual student friendly help and passion. She always admired their passion. Her demonstrator Emily was bright and happy, with a wicked sense of humour. Her and Meredith got along like a house on fire, always sharing a joke or two.

"You were the first person I though if when I realised my mistake." Meredith scoffed.

"... But you seem to have shaken off Peeping Tom! Lucky, especially dressed like that. You," she said motioning to Derek, "must be..." Her eyes glanced down, scanning the roll in front of her, reading directly from the page, "_Derek Shepherd. Class overload, scheduled change in demonstrator_."

"My friends just call me Derek." He noted, nodding along.

"Well Derek, welcome. I'm Emily, you obviously know Meredith, I think she'll be pleased to have a new partner," she said beginning strutting down the isle, her hand slowly grazing their shoulders, "just try not to stare at her chest…" tapping her pointed finger on Meredith's shoulder, leaning into a whisper. "…the whole time." She laughed over her shoulder as she waltzed towards the fume cupboard.

"She really is, you know, grateful for the new partner." Meredith added. "I tried to get Cristina in, but... she wasn't interested in swapping." Meredith screwed up her face in disgust.

"So, Peeping Tom has got the hots for you?" He grinned, joining her at the sink.

"It's not mutual. _Definitely_ not mutual."

"I'm glad to hear it."

A comfortable silence fell between them as they finished cleaning and headed back over to the bench, weighing chemicals and finishing their preparations. Meredith and Derek worked so well together they didn't need to talk. When Emily wandered back over, they had already begun the experiment. She signed as she leant across the bench putting her chin in her hands,

"Good holiday Mer?"

"Not too bad," she replied as she carefully tipped the contents of her measuring cylinder into the beaker above the Bunsen burner.

"That's all you're going to give me? No gossip?" Emily whined, "No new boyfriends? No hot parties? Seriously Meredith, it's… 10 past 9, and these are possibly the most boring pracs in the history of the universe, and you give me nothing?"

Derek suppressed a laugh, as Emily shifted her glance towards him,

"Come on. You guys look like good friends. Do you know any of her gossip?"

"Not even a little bit." He smirked.

"Hmm... I don't believe either one of you. Who was the boy?"

"There was no boy." Meredith insisted. Derek glanced over at her, pretending to look hurt before laughing. She stopped stirring the beaker as she looked back at him. The silence must have lasted close to a minute as Emily flicked between them, watching with wide eyes until it dawned on her.

"YOU WERE THE BOY!" she practically yelled. Silence filled the room as Meredith flushed a bright shade of red.

"SHHHHHHHHH. The whole world doesn't need to know!" She shot back in an exasperated whisper.

"Stop tormenting the students, Em!" one of the other demonstrators called from across the room.

"Shut it, Garry. This is important." She signalled Derek and Meredith.

"Nothing happened," Meredith insisted once more, "We just hung out."

"Yeah, dinner with my family, that's all." Derek added innocently.

"Already in with the family? Nice. Just remember, no glove, no love!"

"Oh no." Further embarrassed she tried to hide her face in shame as Derek laughed, shocked by how forward her demonstrator was. Finally he spoke. "I'm so glad I changed sessions. My demonstrator was not nearly as… uh… animated."

Meredith added grimly, "Yeah. She's a laugh and a half."

He pushed his hip out to hit hers, "We'd better get on with this. What ever _this_ is," he said, signalling to the beaker above the burner "It's not going to synthesis itself!"

"I wish it would. I'm already looking forward to lunch."

"You're always looking forward to lunch."

"… That is very true." Although Meredith was worried about what Emily would do with this knowledge, it was kind of nice that someone else knew.

The remainder of the prac was fairly uneventful. Emily continuously checked up on them as if they were rebellious tweens locking themselves in their bedroom. Her inquisitive nature always made them grimace and with only an hour to go in the day, as they decided to turn on the sweet lovey-dovey charm, just to wind her up. Donning sickly sweet pet names and with Meredith batting her eyelashes at every look, they ended up spending more time laughing than completing the prac. Emily reached the top of her excitement after they'd packed up and were leaving through the main door as Derek guided her through the door with his hand on the small of her back, and turned around and winked at Emily. She literally squealed with excitement. They were glad to be out and headed back over to residence together to grab a bite to eat before hitting the books.

Without a doubt, this was the best prac session either of them had ever had, and with none of their friends around, they both secretly enjoyed being able to be open about their budding relationship.


	7. People Can Change!

**Thank you for taking the time to read and for the reviews so far! I hope you're all enjoying the story so far. :)**

Meredith slumpt into her chair with a huff, causing Cristina to look up from her book. "Some days, I really can't be bothered."

"Prefer to be out with your… Hair-products?"

"No." She answered shortly.

"Hm. That's Meredith for yes."

"Is not."

"Is so. Now, test me." Cristina replied throwing her textbook onto her friend's bed.

"Probably better than procrastinating, hey." She flicked open the textbook to chapter fourteen and started skimming for questions to ask. After a good forty minute study session, she flopped back onto her bed when Cristina came and joined her, leaning against the wall.

"So, Hair-products…"

"Why do you call him that?" Meredith asked quizzically.

"It's his most identifying feature. I didn't even know his name until a few weeks ago."

"You are… Wow. You're awful." Meredith replied to her, "Hair-products?" She laughed, "That's terrible. Are you going to treat your patients like that?"

"Patients have injuries, injuries mean surgeries. Would they prefer me to memorise their names and lineage or how to actually _fix_ them?" Silence, "Exactly. Now. Tell me. How did you two literally run into each other?" Meredith retold the story in some detail, and waited for it to sink in.

"I say go for it. You need a stress relief."

"Cristina!" She shrieked, slapping her arm. "I am not… going to… Cristina!"

"People can change…" She shrugged her shoulders.

XXOXX

"People can change!" Mark stated, lying back on his bed, bouncing a ball against the wall, "That's all my saying."

"She's not like that… We're not like that… We're friends!" Derek retorted, "I'm not you. Remember?"

"I am painfully aware of that." Mark continued to throw the ball against the wall alternating hands as Derek sorted through the miscellaneous items that had accumulated on his desk over the past week. A text book or two, assortment of stationary, and at the bottom of it all, his phone.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, "I could hear this beeping all night, but I couldn't find it." He flipped the case open, plugged it in to charge and turned back to Mark, leaning on his desk. "I…" he couldn't find the words, so just sighed and turned back to his desk. If his brain couldn't be cleared, at least his desk top could be. Mark caught the ball for a final time, sat up and slid his legs off the bed.

"You really like her, don't you?"

There was a long pause "Yes."

"And you're scared she doesn't like you back."

"Yes."

"You're scared that if you tell her, she'll head for the hills?"

"Yes."

"Hm..." He looked insightfully into space "…Good luck with that." Mark laughed as he stood and headed to the door.  
"I was really hoping you were going to come up with someone insightful."  
"Truthfully, I was too, but it's too late in the day for that. The best I can come up with is: Women are like… simile, but something metaphor, simile, metaphor, analogy, cliché…. How was that?"  
"Just like always," Derek replied sarcastically, sighing loudly.

Mark opened the door to head out to the kitchen, but he was stopped by someone in his door way. Meredith hand her hand raised ready to knock as she met Mark's chest.

"Oh. My gosh. Sorry. Um. Hi."  
"Hello." Mark replied, flashing his trademark smile.

"Is… Is Derek here? I have this for him," her words trailed off as she glanced down at the tupperware in her hands.  
"Meredith!" Derek appeared behind Mark.

"I'll leave you two alone."

"… That was weird," Meredith commented as Mark wandered down the hallway, laughing. "Anyway, I just came to bring these back. The food was amazing. Thank you so much, and please say thank you to your Mum. I just can't believe that she would… She would do it for me. I've only met her a few times…"

"She loved you. You're basically part of the family now," he laughed, "You're now on the list."

"The list?"

"The_ list_." He nodded. "Every time Mum calls she asks the same thing," he put on his best impersonation, "Hello Derek, how are you? How's Mark? How are you eating? Do I need to send anything? How is the running? Grades ok? A comment about Kath or Nancy, or some other family member, and now- right on the end, how is Meredith?"  
"That's so…" she felt her heart warm as she realised she had someone who cared about her. "I feel so… honoured. Please tell her I say hi and thank you so very much."

"That I will do. She'll be thrilled you enjoyed it so much." There was a very brief pause before he spat out, "I want to take you to dinner." He jumped subjects as if there was nothing between. She was pulled out of her dazed chatting, looking back to see him staring intently at her.

"…Sorry?"  
"I want to take you to dinner. Once. Humour me."

"But Derek…"

"Please."

"I…I don't… But we…"

"We're friends, aren't we?"  
"I suppose…" she nodded. She did think of him as a friend, maybe even more, but she hesitated. She didn't want to loose him. _It was true that saying_, she thought, _you don't know what you've got until its gone. _She was beginning to realise what she had and was terrified that a bad decision, a decision made on impulse, would send him running. When he found out about her mother and father, as well as her childhood, who knows what he would do? No one knew the full extent of it all. She'd never told anyone. Everyone who was meant to love her unconditionally had found some way of getting out of it. She was scared that he would run too.

"Then trust me," Derek tilted his head to the side and his eyes twinkled, "I want to take you out. I want to leave this college with you. It'll be fun, and I'll pay."

Still undecided she starred at her feet. Her nailpolish was slowly wearing off, and her shoes were splitting. _Note to self, buy new shoes._ She thought._ Shave legs, buy milk, and oh… do laundry. _Her mind ticked away until she realised exactly where she was standing, looking back up to see Derek standing in his doorway carefully studying her. His face was calm but his eyes mirrored concern. Had he just done the worst thing possible? Was she going to run? "I…" her attention went back to her feet, _seriously Mer, buy new shoes. _"I don't want to loose you." She whispered, the same pain in her eyes as they day she'd fled from the house.  
Derek felt as if something had just stabbed through his heart. She looked raw, pained by the fear that she'd be alone. It all clicked. The conversation with her mother, her face, and now this. He moved forward and hugged her. It just felt like the right thing to do. He rested his chin on her head, and surrounded her with his warmth. She placed her head on his chest and slowly closed her eyes, tuning in on his heartbeat. He was so warm, so open and loving. He breathed in taking in the sweet smell of her lavender scented hair. "I'll never leave." He whispered.  
She slowly pulled back her head, keeping her hairs wrapped around his waist. "I'll come." His eyes brightened and he pulled her in tighter.

"Fantastic."


	8. Date Night

**Thanks again for sticking with me, and for the comments! They always make my day. I hope you enjoy the next instalment. :) **

Cristina pushed open the door to their shared room to find Meredith have buried in her wardrobe, wearing a dress with the back fully unzipped.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't have going out clothes! I don't go out! I eat pizza from a box on the floor, pasta from a takeaway container, I don't even bother to get a bowl when I eat icecream!"

"You could just go like that… " Meredith turned to face Cristina shooting her a displeased, dirty look. "Fine. What about that… red one." She glanced, stating the first colour she saw in the wardrobe.

"That _red_ one? That red one is a dressing gown!" Meredith exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

"Woah. Calm down. What's the sudden need for a dress?" Silence filled the room as Meredith contemplated lying. She mentally slapped herself from the train of thought as she realised that out of anyone, Cristina would offer her the most sane, honest and helpful advice.

"Derek asked me out… to dinner… and I don't have anything to wear." She turned on her heel and flopped onto her bed.

"Hm." _Hm, _Meredith thought,_ is that all Cristina had to say? Hm? There less letters in that word than the number of sisters Derek freaking has._ Meredith finally opened her eyes again to find Cristina standing, hands on her hips starring into Meredith's closet. "This one." She pulled out a black dress and threw it at Meredith. "This one. Not too short, appropriate cleavage and tight enough to leave the right amount to the imagination. That's solved. Now. Have you finished the Anatomy assignment?" Meredith sat up and starred at her friend. Her attention switched to the dress and then back to her friend, waiting for a response.

"Thank you, and yes, it's on the desk there."

Cristina shrugged, brushing off Meredith's appreciation, "I think there are two answers to question 4."

Meredith exhaled loudly and rolled off her bed, falling to the floor with a thud. "If I was less tired, I would care that I am on the floor half stuck in a dress, but I'm not, so I don't."

Cristina glanced down from Meredith's paper to her friend sprawled on the floor. She decided to join her instead of asking questions, dropping to her knees and pushing her hands out across the floor before sliding her body out flat until her head was next to Meredith's. They only sound in the room was their breathing, but this was soon interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Crap. What time is it?"

Cristina groaned and pulled her hand out from under her head looking at watch. "Five to six."  
Meredith just groaned angrily, pushing herself up to a sitting position, pulling the unzipped dress over her head as they knocked again.

"COMING." She yelled, as she pulled on the black dress smoothing it out and hopping to the door, Cristina close behind, yanking the zip up. She pulled open the door to Derek looking down the hallway. The tableau of a half dressed Meredith and Cristina fixing the back of her dress made Derek smile.

"Derek." She breathed, smiling calmly, running her hand through her hair.

"Are you ready to go?" He said smiling, his gaze shifting from her face- looking almost groggy from her lay down, to her bare feet, shifting nervously on the carpet.

"Yeah, I am. Wait. No. I'm obviously not. I'll be one second." She said, slowly tripping away from the door, leaning into the cupboard to grab a pair of heels she'd barely worn. She grabbed her mascara and lipgloss from her bedside. Looking into the mirror she adjusted her hair, applied the makeup and then pulled on her shoes, before meeting Derek at the door, still making minimal small talk with Cristina.

She exhaled quickly, "Now I'm ready." Derek's eyes met hers as he stuck out his arm. "Ready to dine like kings?"

"Oh yes. I hope they have frozen peas…"

"You two are weird." Cristina noted before pushing Meredith out and shutting the door.

XOX

When they were seated at the restaurant, Derek reached his hand into his dress pant pocket, and pulled out a small box. "This is for you", he said, pushing it across the table. Her chest tightened as he moved the box closer.

"Derek. You shouldn't have. Friends don't buy friends jewellery."

"Don't say that. You haven't even opened it yet." His eyes brightened as he pushed it further. "I saw it in the holidays when Amy dragged me to the mall. She was looking for something for one of her friends when this caught my eye, and she told me that I should buy it. You know, how me met, with the face, and then you lost your ring…"  
"Derek…" _Now would be the perfect time to tell him the truth._ He just looked thoughtfully at her, tilting his head slightly to the side, waiting on her every word. "There's something I need to say about that day..."

He took a sip of his water and raised his eyebrows.

"I didn't trip."

"I know," he said, nodding calmly. _Of course he knew, _she thought, but strangely she didn't feel threatened or surprised like she thought she would. Derek wasn't demanding anything from her, but waited patiently for her to be comfortable enough to tell him. He smiled at her, and she felt her body relax.

"It's beautiful. Thank you." She pulled it from the box and slid the ring up her finger over her knuckle. The sliver band wound around her finger like a vine, and fit her perfectly. It shone in the dim romantic light of the restaurant, and most of all, it made her feel special. She hadn't seen this sweet, kind and caring side of Derek before, but she was appreciative that she could.

"Now, I'm hungry, which means you must be famished." He laughed, lifting up his menu.

"I'm always hungry, and I'm glad you have noticed and accepted this," she laughed, pulling her menu out from under the napkin, "and Derek?" he looked up, "Thank you."

"Anytime."

Two hours later, they were finishing dessert when a new couple moved in and sat at the table behind them. The woman had light brown hair and was wearing a light purple and black dress and a large silver watch. The man, who they assumed to be her husband, wore a crisp blue shirt, and had black wavy hair. To any other couple in the restaurant, they would have seemed no different, but as soon as they walked past the table, something made Meredith look up from her strawberry icecream. She kicked Derek under the table,

"Ouch. What was that for?" he laughed, putting down his spoon.  
"Look!" She whispered loudly, leaning into the middle of the table, gesturing with her spoon next to her hand.

He lent in over his bowl, "At them? Do you know her?"

"Yeah, them! No… I don't, but… Her husband…"

"Do you know him?"

"No, but, I know you."

"Yes, you do know me."

"Yeah, exactly."

"Sorry? I seem to be a little lost. Can we start over?"

"Look at them. Don't you see it?"

"See what? Are you okay, Mer?"

"Them! Look! Look at him!"

"I'm really sorry, but I still don't follow."

"Those two sitting behind us – he looks like you, and she, well, she kind of looks like me. Prettier, but still. They look like us."

"Oh. Wow. I see that. Like us plus twenty years. They look very happy together." Derek smiled. Meredith shifted her chair slightly so she could see the couple better. The two of them sat in silence observing the couple who appeared to be on a date celebrating an anniversary. He would say something and she would laugh. She would say something, then he would laugh. The connection between them meant the rest of the room didn't exist. They were living proof that love was like tunnel vision. It wasn't until a few minutes later that a large crash behind Meredith, and an ice cold gush of liquid down her back, pulled them out of their trance. Meredith screamed, jumping from her seat. Everyone turned to look at them. Derek jumped in fright from Meredith's sudden movement and screams, startling a waiter next to him carry a tray of desserts, which consequently ended up down his front.

After the clattering of plates subsided, and numerous waiters rushing from all directions towards them, they both began to apologise profusely. It was all such a big shock they both couldn't comprehend what was happening. Meredith's eyes finally met Derek's and they both laughed. Derek continued to try and remove the cream covering his front with his napkin as he tossed it on the table. If they hadn't already finished their food, they had now. Their bowls were filled with spilt wine, water and a variety of cake fragments.

"I think we're about done here." He smirked.

"I'd say…"

He tapped the arm of a nearby waiter, who was transporting old glassware from the floor to the kitchen, asking for the bill.

"Oh, sir, no. I am so sorry." The manager emerged from the kitchen, rushing over to the table.

"Sir, Madam, I am so sorry about what has happened."

Derek jumped in, "This part," he said signalling to his front, "this part was my fault. I just jumped when I heard her scream." He was apologetic for the whole commotion, but his actions were only met two fold by the manager.  
"Sir, I am still so sorry, please, have this meal on us. And the lady, please allow us to pay for the dry cleaning of her dress," he said, gesturing towards Meredith.

She smiled sweetly, shaking her head, "That really isn't necessary."

"I insist."

The both laughed as the manager continued to apologise, and Meredith finally decided that it was enough.

"Sir, it is really okay. Thank you very much for the meal, and the dry cleaning. If dinner is always this exciting, I'm sure we'll be back."

"Yes. _We_ will be back." Derek smiled. Meredith though of them as a _we._ He glanced over at the couple who they had depicted as them in twenty years. They were still chatting away, both looking happy and relaxed. He wanted that to be them, and he felt as if she was moving that way too. The woman looked up and caught Derek's eyes, flashing him a sweet smile, just like Meredith had done earlier. It made his heart jump. It was like looking into the future.

As they left, they felt all eyes turn to them, smiling about the funny sequence of events.

"At least we left with a bang, hey?" Derek stated walking through the carpark. He put his hand on the small of Meredith's back, before pulling it away realising how sticky she'd become. They had moved on from friends, and weirdly, Meredith wasn't scared. She didn't feel uncomfortable with how close he was becoming, in fact, she enjoyed the intimacy.

"Nice, isn't it?" She replied, after feeling his hand move away. She glanced down at his shirt, "you're not that crash hot either!" She noted.  
"No… Not really. Want a hug?" He opened up his arms to her and beckoned her forward into his cream splattered chest.  
"No. No. Noooo!" She squealed laughing as he surrounded her again, squishing his chest up against hers. The cream squelched between them as he pulled her in tighter. They both stood for a good minute, rocking from foot to foot hugging, and shrieking with laughter. When they finally peeled apart, he walked with his arm over her shoulder and heads touching around to her side of the car, where he walked over and opened her door. She hesitated before looking back at him,

"Are you sure that you want the wine on your seat?" she flashed him a worried look.

"Well, we're not walking home. Don't worry, mine will be no better. I'll give the car a good clean tomorrow." He laughed.

They soon arrived back at college, as Derek skipped around to her side of the car opening her door and offering a hand. She took it as she pulled herself out. Without letting go of his fingers, she shut the door quietly. He locked up and they walked with their fingers intertwined, swinging their hands slightly. When they reached the door to the res, they stopped.

"I'd invite you to my room, but Mark'll interrogate us, or make innuendoic comments."

"Or both?"

"Or both." He agreed.

"I'd invite you to mine, but Cristina won't be much better. She likes to make comments of the smug kind."

"Shall we go for a walk?"

"A walk sounds nice."

The two wandered the tree filled campus, enjoying each other's presence before sitting down in the middle of the quadrangle cross legged facing each other. She yawned and swivelled around so she was lying down with her head in his lap looking up at the stars. Derek leant back on his arms, appreciating how comfortable they were together. He was beginning to feel what their twenty-year-future selves were experiencing in the restaurant. The whole world was going away. His vision with tunnelling; she was becoming everything. She moved, awaking him from his fantasy as she tilted her head back and met his eyes, and smiled. She sat back up again, and leant in, until she was only a few centimetres from his face. She exhaled, and he felt her breath on his upper lip. With her eyes shut she moved in and planted a short kiss on his lips. Short, but electric. The seconds between felt like eternity. He moved in with more force, making the next kiss deeper and more passionate. He placed one hand on the back of her neck, holding her close. What seemed like an eternity later, they both pulled away, starring into each other's eyes passionately.

"Tonight has been… incredible." She whispered.

"Incredible." He repeated, "Absolutely incredible."

A cold breeze swept through the quadrangle as Derek felt Meredith shiver.  
"Time to head inside?"

"Unfortunately I think it might be."

She slowly stood and offered him her hand again, holding her shoes in her other. They wandered back over and headed inside and up the stairs in a blissful silence. When they reached her door, he moved in and hugged her, planting a quick kiss on her lips. She rested her head on his chest before realising.  
"Thank you."

"You say that a lot." He commented.

"I just am very thankful, and I love the ring. Please do tell your sister that she was right in convincing you. I'm sure she'd get a kick out of a bit of gossip. Be sure to tell her about the wine and cream too…"

He smirked, "Oh, I will. They'll love it more than you could ever realise." She smiled back at him knowing well he was right. She put in her keycard and silently closed the door. Cristina must have gone out, as all the lights were off, and her bed was empty. _Probably still at the library_, she though, thowing her shoes onto the floor and peeling off her dress and pulling on her loose pajamas. _I'll shower in the morning, I can't be bothered now_, she thought before flopping back onto her bed.

Derek continued down the hall, pushing the unlocked door open to his room to find Mark propped up on his bed with a Playstation controller in his hands, facing the tv they'd bought.

"Wow. First date and already eating off each other? Nice." Mark nodded towards the cream splattered from of Derek's shirt.

Derek gave him a sarcastic smile, before pulling off his shirt.

"How do you even know I was on a date?"

"Ran into Yang in the hall, literally. She was carting textbooks down to the library, I kindly, and innocently if I may add, asked if she'd like help, she replied with something along the lines of 'infection better than affection', and one of our 'dangerous duo' was already working his charm on Mer, and oh… she told me that if you ever hurt her, she'd castrate you, and then me."

Derek conceded defeat and replied, "Waiter spilt wine on Meredith, she screamed, I jumped, waiter dropped cake. We got a free meal." He smiled. "I recommend it a lot."

"And the date… Good?"

"Amazing." Derek didn't intend on telling Mark everything: the twenty-years-in-the-future couple, the walk, the hug, the kiss… It was the kind of feeling that noone could ever describe. You had to be there to feel its intensity.


	9. Sick x2

**Thank you again for the comments, you're all lovely! :)**

It was a brisk morning and unlike Derek not to be one of the first at breakfast. As Mark entered the mess, he spotted Callie and Arizona already mid way through their breakfast, making remarks about that day's morning newspaper. On the other side of the table to Callie and Arizona, George sat next to Cristina who was surrounded by several thick document articles from the most recent medical journal. She didn't even look up when he slid in next to Callie accidentally kicking her a few times under the table. Mark glanced around the room,

"Where's Derek?" he asked, looking back to the table for an answer.

"No clue. We were as surprised as you were when he wasn't here. We thought you were both still at the gym."

"He was asleep when I left this morning, but that was at 5."

"...You've been up since 5?" Arizona questioned with an eyebrow raised, over her mug of steaming coffee.

"You know it! Weights and cardio. I'm like a well oiled machine."

"Riggght." She replied, looking back at the paper in front of her.

"It's 7:30. He's always showered, dressed AND eaten by now. Hold up, where's Grey?"

Cristina finally joined the conversation adding, "She won't be down for another 10. Snoring away when I left." She commented bluntly. Everyone smirked at the idea of Meredith snoring, until George cut in.

"I hear she's seeing him."

Callie looked over at Mark and winked.

"She will be seeing more of him soon, if you catch my drift. He's smitten." Mark boasted, stretching and swinging back in his chair, grinning. Callie swatted him in the stomach, causing him the crumple and his chair to fall back to its four legs.

"Shut it, Sloan. Stop making everything dirty. I think they're really cute together." Arizona added, sweetly smiling.  
"You should have seen him after their date last Friday. He was beaming the whole night. He even endured a thirty-minute phone call from his sister._ His sister! _She was interrogating him about something and he took it! All of it!"

"He makes her happy or whatever." Cristina added, not looking up form her papers. This was her showing her support. George just grunted slouching further into his chair clutching his orange juice.

"Who are we talking about?" A voice from behind questioned, pulling out a chair next to Cristina. Jackson lived on the floor above them, but shared classes with the group and often ended up at the same catch ups and parties.

"Meredith and Derek. They're cute, aren't they?" Callie questioned.

"They're dating? Huh. Yeah, no, I can see that." He bit into his apple, nodding. "Yeah, they're perfect for each other. He's so… up and down, and she's so… diagonal." Arizona said, starring off into the distance.

"Ok, I have no idea what you just said, but, I think I agree." Jackson said, smirking.

A noise from behind caused the group to all to turn and watch as a sluggish, unshaven Derek practically fell into the chair next to Mark with a grunt. He crossed his arms on the table, and flopped his head down.

Everyone exchanged glances across the table before all laying eyes on Derek. Mark decided would take charge of this situation,

"… Are you ok, Shep?" patting his hand on his shoulder. Derek spluttered under his touch, slightly lifting his head before realising holding it would take too much energy, flopping back onto his arms.

"Sick. So sick." He groaned.

"Why don't you go back up to bed?" Callie offered, leaning in to meet Derek's tired eyes.

"I have lectures…. Work… and hungry…"

"Don't worry about the lectures, they're all online. You can have my notes, too." Jackson offered.  
"And I'll grab you some toast." Arizona said, springing from her chair towards the toaster.

"Maybe Mer will play nurse," George sniggered sarcastically to Cristina.

"Ha. Unlikely." She said looking up, seeing Meredith clumsily walk through the entrance dragging her feet. Her eyes were dark and she moved almost lifelessly. She looked exhausted and almost as sick as Derek. She noticed Cristina and George sitting around a table with the others and pulled out a chair.

Cristina caught Meredith's eye and pointed at her, "You. Bed. I can't get sick now. I have a test tomorrow."

"But I have to go… I have to study, and lectures… and I have a tute later on…."

"I'll give you my notes too, don't worry about that." Jackson added again.

"And the tute can wait, come to mine of Friday instead." Callie nodded.  
"You _both _could really do with some sleep." The word both made Derek and Meredith look up and around the table until they noticed how poorly each other looked. They both grimaced before sitting up. Arizona skipped back to the table sliding a plate of buttered toast to each of the sickly members.  
"I saw you looked poorly too Mer, so I brought you some as well."

"Thank you. I wasn't sure if I could be bothered standing."

The group continued to talk amongst themselves as Derek and Meredith chewed sleepily on their dry meal. Meredith had her head propped in her hands and Derek was slumpt over his plate, feeling his eyes becoming heavier.

"Uh. 8:30. We'd better get ready." Mark noted pushing back his chair. He slapped Derek on the back, startling him from his dazed state, "and you. Sleep."

"I'm not even going to argue."

"You too Mer. You need sleep. I need you to disinfect yourself." Cristina stated.

The group wandered upstairs each peeling off to grab their books from their separate rooms. When Cristina and Meredith arrived at their door, Cristina pushed open their door immediately pointing at Meredith's bed.

"Sleep."

Less than five minutes later, Meredith was sound asleep curled up in a ball facing the wall.

Down the hall, Derek was sitting up in bed as Mark was throwing various books and stationery into his bag.

"Now, relax and get well. I can't have my wingman down for Saturday night."

"I'll try my hardest." Although Derek smiled, it was hollow one.

Meredith awoke three hours later to a bright room. Her headache had decreased and her ears were no longer blocked, but she was still woozy. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts take over. She was imagining she was sitting on the letterbox at home in the sun, relaxed and happy like the day she had met Derek for the second time. The next time she opened her eyes it was another two hours later. She sat up and pulled out her laptop and a note pad from her desk next to the bed. Wednesdays were her short days, only three lectures and a tute – most of which, she acknowledged, could be done in bed. She was twenty minutes into the first lecture when there was a quiet knock at the door.

"I think it's unlocked." She called out.

The door slowly opened to Derek standing, holding his laptop with a blanket draped around his shoulders. His pyjama pants hung low and scuffled on the floor as he dragged his feet tiredly. His eyes were still cloudy and his hair was slightly askew. When he smiled, his eyes didn't have the usual cheer.

"My internet is down, would I be able to borrow yours?" He asked deflatedly.

"You wanting to watch lectures?"

"Yeah, trying as hard as I can to stay up to date... then my internet went down."

"Well, I'm watching them too, and I'm not moving, so…"

"So…?"  
"You're going to have to come join me." She replied flicking off her quilt and sliding closer to the wall so he could fit too. There was something about sick Derek that made Meredith's heart melt. He seemed so innocent and vulnerable, and all she wanted to do was give him a hug. He was still warm from his bed when he slid into her into hers, pulling the blanket back over them. She lent to pull her laptop back up, sitting it on their legs. They were running low on space, so she sat up and pulled her pillow down further, snuggling down into the bed, placing her head on Derek's shoulder. He rested his head on top of hers and pressed play on the video from where she had left off.

At some point in the last lecture, they'd managed to move down the bed to be almost lying down and Meredith had nodded off with her head on his chest. He had his arms wrapped around her, and dozed off soon after.

Two hours later, Meredith awoke as her human pillow moved beneath her. Derek exhaled loudly, blinking his eyes as he awoke. Meredith looked up from his chest, rubbing her face.

"Good afternoon," she said, slightly disorientated. She sat up and looked around the room. "What time is it?" she yawned.

"Ummm…" He looked around for a clock, noticing one on Cristina's bedside. "4:20."

"No wonder I'm hungry," she giggled, "I haven't eaten _all_ day."

"Good to hear you're feeling better."

She thought for a second before replying, "I actually do! That was probably the best sleep of my life."

"I think I have to agree." He slid from her bed slowly, pulling off the books and laptop before sticking out his hand for Meredith. "To the mess?"

"To the mess." She pushed her hand around his waist, and leant her head on his chest once more, feeling so comfortable. Little did they know, they were not the only ones that enjoyed their nap.

XOX

"Someone had better check on Mer and Shep." Arizona mentioned, motioning with her fork.

"I'll go. I forgot my Anatomy notes." Mark replied, throwing his cutlery onto the now empty tray and pushing his phone into his pocket. "I'll be back in a mo."

Mark took the stairs two by two and crept into their dark room, glancing over to Derek's bed, expecting to see it occupied. Instead, the covers were pushed back and it was well and truly empty. Mark pulled open the blind, assuming he had gone to the bathroom, but noticed his laptop was gone too.

_Maybe he'd felt better and headed for the library, _he thought, grabbing his notes. He shut the door, striding down the hallway but as he passed Cristina and Meredith's room the door swung open.

"Pssst."

Mark turned around to see Cristina leaning out of the doorway.

"Oi. Mark." She whispered, "I think you'll get a kick out of this." She summoned him into the room, pointing towards Meredith and Derek snuggled together surrounded by open books and a laptop.

"Oh. Wow. Thank you so much for sharing this with me." He commented grinning, "and Derek's sisters and mother will thank me for sharing it too." He pulled out his phone taking a photo and forwarding to every mobile number of the Shepherd family he had. Sliding his phone back into his pocket, he turned to face Cristina again.

"Thank you for making my day, Yang."


	10. The Allusive Photo

**Ask and ye shall receive. :) Enjoy!**

Derek wandered back into his room an hour later after sharing afternoon tea with Meredith outside in the college courtyard. He'd resided to have a shower but he saw his phone flashing from his desk. Hitting the home button, the lock screen lit up with 9 missed calls and 12 new messages. Derek sighed, sliding his finger across the bottom of the screen to see a run down of what he had missed.

_Mum: Missed Call (3), Message (1)_

_Amy: Missed Call (3), Message (6)_

_Mark: Missed Call (1), Message (2)_

_Kathleen: Missed call (1), Message (2)_

_Unknown Number: Missed Call (1)_

_Oh goodness. Who died? _Derek sighed, playing the voicemails. He held the phone up to his ear and he heard his Mum's voice.

_Hi Der, it's Mum here. I heard you and Meredith were both sick, and I hope you're feeling better after your sleep… The photo was very cute. I hope you're looking after her. She's good for you. Talk soon; let me know if you need anything. Love you._

"What photo?" Derek asked out loud. He pulled the phone away from his ear and selected the next voicemail. A loud excitable squeal was heard from the other end of the phone line, paining his eardrum. He winced pulling the phone away from his ear before pressing it back again when he heard his sister's voice.

_Derek. O-M-G. That photo of you and Meredith is possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen. Don't get well, this is way better._

"Oh Amy, you're so nice." Derek laughed sarcastically, starting to get agitated. Next message.

_Der, Mum again. Don't kill Mark._

"I will soon if I don't find out what is going on."

_Der? Kath here. I love her and obviously you do too. Don't mess this us._

"What am I messing up?"

_It's Amy. Don't kill Mark._

Derek huffed and pulled the phone away from his ear and sorted through the text messages. They were all pretty much the same message, except Amy's excitement described using capital letters and an excessive amount of exclamation points. Derek gave up, throwing his phone back on his bed. He grabbed his towel and toiletries, opening the door to the hall. A couple of metres down, Meredith was wandering down the hall staring at her phone. She looked up when she heard the noise of his door, shouting ahead.

"Why do I have several missed calls from your sister about a photo or something? What photo?"

"I wish I could tell you, but I don't know either. I had 9 messages from Amy and 4 from Mum… as well as Kath and an unknown number, which I assume was another family member. Mark called to see how I was today, and they all mentioned him, so I'm going to say he is behind it."

"Oh no." Meredith looked straight ahead into this distance.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry, it can't be that bad."

"I left the door unlocked and we _slept_ through lunch."

"They weren't expecting us to join them, they know we're sick." Derek replied, missing the point of her comment.

"That's not what I meant. If Mark rang to check, he probably would have come upstairs since you obviously didn't answer. You wouldn't have been in your room, so, he would have come to mine. Or Cristina. She would have seen us. They would have seen us asleep _together_. I bet you that is what the photo is."

"Yeah, that would be it!"

Meredith started to breathe faster, looking distressed. "What are we going to do?!"

Derek was a little lost by her response, "what do you mean 'do'? Do we need to 'do' anything?" Derek paused before speaking, "… You're not dating someone else are you?"

She stopped, and looked at him as she caught up, "What? No!"

"Then is it really a problem they saw us?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"…I suppose not."  
"But it will definitely out our relationship."

"Our relationship", she repeated, the words flowing off her tongue. She leant into his chest again, and he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.  
"I suppose we should thank Mark for this, hey. Maybe it'll be easier than having to tell everyone."

"We could have got an ad in the paper," she replied laughing. "I hope the photo was flattering."

"You're always cute when you sleep."

"… Do you often watch me sleep?" She asked stepping back, giving him the third degree.  
"Just today. Don't worry, I was out within a minute too. As I said, best nap ever."

"It really was."

And with that, Derek continues on to the showers, whilst Meredith wandered back to her room climbing back into bed to watch a DVD before Cristina returned.


	11. Meredith's Sunday

**A little Meredith and George chapter. Might even post another chapter by the end of the weekend, if you're interested! Have a great day/night! :)**

It was a late Sunday afternoon and Meredith stood behind the counter at the local corner shop. She'd had part time job there for a while now and enjoyed her shifts, especially the quiet ones. The manager was one of her mother's patients from some years ago and when she had heard Meredith was coming to college near by, she'd vowed to look out for her and offered her a weekly Sunday afternoon shift. Meredith was certain that Mrs Barlow was overpaying her for her short shift- especially when most of the time she'd spend reading that week's magazines and newspapers as there were very few customers. Meredith always tried to tell her it was too much, but she'd always reply the same,

"It's no problem, Meredith. You deserve it for all the hard work you put in during the week." One of the best parts of the job was that it was close by to college, so she often knew the students coming for supplies and they'd stay for a chat.

It was just past 4pm when Meredith heard the small bell above the door ring. She was still perched behind the cash register on the old green stool, flicking through a trashy magazine. She looked up to see George and Lexie enter the store. As George laid eyes on Meredith, he awkwardly sidled his way up to the counter grabbing a chocolate bar from beneath, placing it in front of her.

"Just his one today, George?" Meredith smiled, tapping a few buttons on the register as he awkwardly fidgeted, throwing another packet of gum on the bench. She just looked up at him and smiled, "$2.80, thanks."

He stuck his hand into his pocket, fishing around for some loose change, grumbling about something.

"Are you okay?" Meredith asked, concerned, "I haven't seen you much lately. How have you been?"  
"Fine."

"Well, that's good, I suppose." She replied, shrugging it off. "I'll see you at dinner?"

George muttered something under his breathe, but all Meredith could make out was "…. Hair-products." She knew that he was talking about Derek and it all made sense. George was jealous of Derek. He swiped the two packets from the counter, annoyed at himself for not making the most of the opportunity to talk to her. He breathed a sigh of relief when she called out after him.

"He's really a nice guy, you know." His heart dropped at the choice of subject. "Derek, he's really a nice guy. He respects you a lot… I really think you could be friends."

"Okay."

"We're still friends George, right?" Meredith asked, worriedly.  
"Of course. Nothing will change that." He nodded.

"Good." She sighed with relief. George was like her brother, although, thinking that did make her feel guilty sometimes especially as she had noticed the way he looked at her when she was with Derek. She couldn't pretend to reciprocate his feelings, that would be cruel, but flaunting her budding romance would be cruel too. She smiled at George and thankfully he reciprocated.

"See you at dinner." He nodded. She agreed, and he left with Lexie in tow.

Before she knew it, the door was flung open again as Cristina strode in grabbing a pack of 24 blue pens and throwing in on the counter.

"Ran out in the middle of a lecture. Ended up having to use a blunt red pencil I found at the bottom of my bag." She grumbled.

"Ha. At least it was red… like blood."

"That was its _only_ saving grace."

Meredith continued the transaction silently, until she went to hand back Cristina her change. "George came in. I think he hates me."

"He doesn't hate you." Cristina replied bluntly. "He hates Hair-products."

"But why? What has Derek done?" Meredith asked trying to provoke an answer from Cristina. She had her suspicions but wanted to know if someone else shared them

"He's jealous. It's obvious. Poor Bambi." She said in a slightly mocking tone.

"I just feel bad for the guy. I mean… he's George! He's lovely, and kind, but… he's not Derek."

"Poor Bambi." Cristina repeated, picking up the pens. "Well, he'll live, you and Derek can continue on doing what ever you're doing, and one day Bambi'll have enough cats to forget about women. I thought him and Olivia were _on _anyway…"

"You're horrible. But, Olivia. Right." Meredith had forgotten about the timid red head, "That's nice. Good for George!" She commented, smiling. _George had Olivia, so, he couldn't be that jealous of Derek, _she thought to herself. _Excellent._ She nodded, and called back to Cristina that she'd see her in an hour or so.

XXXXOXXOXXXX

At around 7, George wandered down the hall to find Meredith sitting outside the entrance to the mes waiting for him.  
"Mer, hey." George said, smiling.

"Hey. Ready for dinner? I saw a few others go in, but I thought I'd wait - just to make sure you're okay. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. Are you okay? I mean, you were sick and everything last week…"

She smiled sweetly back at him, "I'm feeling a lot better, thank you."

George looked past her, through the glass doors, "I can see Izzie and Yang and all them in there already, shall we go in?"  
"Sounds like a good plan." He threw his arm over her shoulder like a friend would do, and they lined up ready to grab plates.

"So," Meredith continued, "tell me about Olivia."

George flushed with embarrassment but decided that maybe telling Meredith about his life would make him more comfortable with the thought of her and Derek being together. They both moved down the line, serving themselves at each of the hot food and salad stations, chatting about Olivia. Meredith felt relaxed; everything was finally back to normal between the friends again. Not once did she feel as if George was about to explode with jealousy.


	12. Derek's Sunday

**It's finally close enough for me to say Merry Christmas! Everyone doing exams at the moment- good luck! and all on holidays, I hope you're having a relaxing and enjoyable time. Hope you enjoy the chapter! **

Derek sat on the edge of the pier leaning back into his fraying, maroon deck chair. He cast his line into the lake, slowing reeling it back in. His mind wandered through the events of the past few weeks, smiling as he though about Meredith. Her smile made his knees go weak. He felt better about life when she was around. He was more optimistic, and more confident.

He looked over to Mark who was assuming a similar position only a few metres away.

"We really did pick the best college." Mark nodded, throwing his line back out. Just ten minutes down the road from their res was a large fresh water lake that extended to a large stream. On a Sunday afternoon, Derek and Mark would often head out for a hike or go fishing, if not only for the peace and quiet before the week started again. A breeze came from upstream, whistling through the trees, nicely complementing the trickle of water.

"I love Sundays." Derek added, agreeing.

They'd been out on the small wooden pier for three hours, each in their own little worlds. This was one of the main reasons Derek liked Mark. Although he could be bumptious, obstinate and self obsessed, he was always around for a laugh or just to hang out. He enjoyed their afternoons where they'd chill, neither of them feeling the need to fill the silence with talking. Each of them had caught around half a dozen fish but since they lived on campus and were fully fed, they threw them back. During the holidays, they'd bring them back to home and either the boys or Carolyn would cook them up for dinner. Before Derek's dad had passed away, he would take the boys out to the lake by their house and it had become a tradition. When they were younger, they loved to go out onto the lake because growing up in a family of teenage girls was noisy. Nature brought serenity. Since moving to college and discovering the local lake, they appreciated the peace of nature just as much.

"It's nearly Thanksgiving break, hey." Derek mentioned, casting out his line again. He leant his head back, sunglasses shading his closed his eyes.

"I've been looking forward to this for weeks, you know. Mum's turkey... Ah. You never forget that taste." Mark grinned. Carolyn was an amazing cook, and virtually a mother to Mark due to his lack of parental guidance by his own mother and father. "Who's driving home? Me or you?" Mark continued, jamming the handle of his loved and worn rod into the crack in the jetty.

"Well, I promised Mum I'd bring Meredith back with me. Meredith tried to refuse saying she was getting a train but then Mum, I have no idea how, found her number and rang her, telling her I'd take her. Not that I mind, I was planning on doing the same thing."

"Sounds like you're driving then. Is she coming to Thanksgiving too?" Mark asked whilst digging through the esky for a bottle of water.

"Oh... I didn't even think of that. Her mum wouldn't cook for that, would she?"

"I know nothing about the woman apart from what you've told me."

"In the strictest of confidences, remember? You can't say anything."

"You got it, bro."

"I just can't imagine Ellis Grey standing over anything for more than a few minutes that wasn't surgical. I should invite her, shouldn't I? Would it freak her out?"

"Just make it sound low key... Few family members and friends..."

Derek stared back at Mark, "Mate, she's met Mum before, she realises nothing is low key."

"Get Amy to ask. They seem to be quite good friends..."

"But, I don't want her to think that _I_ don't want her there." Derek replied quickly.

"You're thinking about this way too much."

"I know." Derek sighed, "We should probably head back now. It's getting late." He pulled his line in, packing up his tackle box and folding the chairs back.

It wasn't until they were halfway back to college that thy spoke again.

"I'll ask her tonight. Casually. You know, dinner, Amy wants to see her and all that."

"Good plan." Mark nodded, sticking his elbow back out the window, holding into the roof of the car tapping along to the radio.

XXXXOXXOXXXX

Meredith wandered back to her room with Cristina after dinner with George and their friends. She'd really enjoyed it, laughing at their jokes and making silly comments about a variety of subjects. Their banter continued down the hall and they reached their door, Cristina swiping her card. Meredith was just about to enter the room when she heard her name called down the corridor. She stopped, but forget to catch the door in front of her, as it hit her shoulder.

"Ouch." She yelped, turning to scowl at the door. _This has happened too many times this week for me not to be a little embarrassed, _she thought to herself as she turned back to see what had caught her attention. Derek was slowly jogging down the hall, his hair loose, bouncing around his face. His face had warm glow from being out in the sun. A relaxed smiled stretched across his face; he looked refreshed and calm. She'd heard that he and Mark often headed off campus while she worked on a Sunday, but had never heard anything first hand. He leant in, pressing a quick kiss on her cheek; his skin was still warm from the sun.

"Oh!" She said, surprised by his forward action, "hello there." She leant in and gave him a hug.

"How are you?" He asked, his hand still on her shoulder.

"Good, haven't done too much today. You look relaxed and you're very warm."

"Mark and I spent the day out at the lake, such good weather. What are you doing for Thanksgiving?" He changed the subject quickly. The jump in topics caught her off guard.

"I haven't really thought about it. I was thinking about staying here, but, I should see Mum and..."

"I can drive you. But about dinner, what are you doing on the day?"

"You haven't heard, have you?" She asked him, smirking.

"Heard what? Is it about your mother? Is she alright?" He was suddenly very concerned, leaning in towards her trying to read her emotions. She just laughed at his sudden change in attitude.

"She's fine," she passed off, "but your mother..."

"Oh no. What's she done now?!" He groaned, walking away from her with one hand on his forehead and the other on his hip.

"She not only _insisted_ that you drive me, but invited me to dinner."

"Oh goodness. I am so sorry. I swear I didn't give her your number. She doesn't know when to stop and I didn't mean to crowd you, and you don't have to come or anything. I am so sorry." Derek tried to back pedal his way out of this awkward situation, until Meredith stopped him.

"Derek, calm down." She laughed, "I'm the crazy rambling one, remember? I gave her my number. She asked, saying that she wanted to make sure I was alright and she gave me hers, so, I reciprocated. And dinner, I don't have to come if you don't want me to come..." She meekly replied, suddenly worried that he wasn't comfortable with her being with his family.

"No!" Derek accidentally shouted, waving his hands, "I mean, no! Wait, yes!" He was loud and confused. "I do want you there! I just didn't want you to feel pressured like I was trying to push you into something."

"No pressure." She nodded, now smiling about how worried he was that she'd be freaked out. It touched her that he cared so much. If she was totally honest with herself, she was surprised she wasn't. "But..." She started again, almost at a whisper, "do you mind if I come?"

He watched her as she fidgeted, starring at the ground worried about what he would say. He stepped closer, nudging her head up with his index finger.

"Nothing would please me more." He pulled her in for a hug once more, and she whispered to him, "I've never had a proper Thanksgiving before."

"You chose a good family then. You remember how crazy Mum got when I was home? Imagine that times 20."

"I am excited." She laughed back. She'd never felt so welcome and had the feeling she'd be experiencing something she had never before.


	13. Cold Feet

**Thank you for the reviews, and I hope you enjoy! **

Derek pulled into Meredith's drive a short six hour car trip since leaving college. They'd taken a few breaks along the way, Derek even letting Mark drive for a leg mainly so he could control the radio and talk to Meredith properly. The three of them hasn't stopped talking the whole trip, the light hearted chatter filling the car.

"20 bucks Amy pushes you two together on_ at least_ two occasions." Mark stated as Meredith went to open her car door. "No. $20 Amy has told the entire family you're virtually _married_."

Meredith knew he was joking, but a small part of her knew that it was a possibility. As the day grew closer, she was starting to fret more and more. The happy family scenario was so foreign, and this holiday was a big jump. Derek stepped out of the car, heading towards the boot to hauling out Meredith's duffle bag. She pulled out her pillow and the collection of empty coffee and soft drink bottles she's bought along the way from the back seat. She tried to take her bag from him, but he refused. They walked up the driveway together as she sidled past the recycling bins, throwing their rubbish in. They climbed the steep drive, and headed towards the front door where Derek places her bag on the ground lightly.

"Thanks a lot for the lift home. I really appreciate it."

"It really is no problem. You don't have to keep thanking me. It's what boyfriends do."

"Boyfriend?" Her heart skipped a beat. They had never declared their relationship in so many words, they were 'dating', but the B word was never stated. She started to panic a little. This 'thing' was becoming serious and all she could hear was her mother's voice in her head telling her it was a bad idea.

He nodded, grinning. "Yeah, your boyfriend. We're dating, and you're my girlfriend. It's the way it should be." He winked.

_Whistle in the face of reason, _she thought_. What does my mother know? _"Right. So. Boyfriends drive their girlfriends home, carry their bags and feed them? I might just have to keep you around then." She replied with a slight smile. "But Derek? I really do appreciate it."

"I know." He nodded, "but I won't pretend I don't enjoy it either."

She put her hand on his upper arm, before reaching down to pick up her bag. She turned and unlocked the front door with keys she had pulled from the side pocket of her shoulder bag.

"So for tomorrow, we usually eat late afternoon and watch the game and the parade too. So, I'll come pick you up at 1?"

"Okay. What do I bring?"

"Just yourself. Trust me, there will be plenty of food- we'll be eating leftovers for weeks."

"Are you sure? I don't want to look rude."

"Bring your extremely-large-for-a-tiny-girl appetite, oh, an resilience for the amount of interrogative and prying questions you'll get from my curious, gossip hungry sisters, and probably mum too."

The fear was still lingering. _Prying questions, interrogations, demanding families, _she thought to herself. _Meeting his family. His whole family. This is why he was worried. They will eat me alive._ Her face turned from a smile to a petrified stare at Derek.'s feet. It was obvious his family loved him a lot and he loved them back, but she didn't know what that was like. They cared so much about him and wanted to know every detail of his life – including everything about her, often even more than he was willing to divulge and discuss. Meredith didn't want to deny him of that by having to be with her. It was nice for him to have that. No one had ever asked her about her day or cared about her friends or relations. It was nice to feel wanted, but why was it so hard to accept sometimes?

_How could my feelings change so quickly?_ _Come on Mer, _she willed herself. _There are no bad signs. Just smile and it will be alright. You've met half of them, and that was fine. Breathe. _

"Will do. You know what? I won't even eat breakfast!" She stated.

"That's the spirit. Bye Mer." He leant in and kissed her cheek holding his hand to the other side of her face.

"Bye, and thank you." She whispered into his ear. He just grinned back at her, heading towards his car and sliding into the front seat next to Mark who had been amusing himself on his phone in the meantime. Derek backed out of the driveway and headed down the street towards his house, still smiling. She had just under 24 hours to become okay with this whole, 'celebrating with a family' thing.

XXXXOXXOXXXX

She had cold feet and no matter how many times she tried to reassure herself, they were only getting colder. This was unchartered territory and she was terrified of what may unravel. Meredith had rung Cristina that morning looking for support. Although their hour long conversation was comforting, as soon as she hung up the phone, she felt the fear creep right back in. Before Derek came, she was borderline hyperventilating, sitting on her bed, clutching her phone. She nearly jumped from her skin when it vibrated with a message from her mother.

_Won't be home tonight, called into emergency surgery. See you tomorrow._

"This is what families do!" Meredith exclaimed, "They don't get along, they don't celebrate holidays, they don't like each other!"

She heard a knock at the front door. Pacing around the room, she muttered to herself. "Can't go. Can't go. Can't go. Can't go. Can't go. Can't go. Can't go."

She was scared of getting close to them, then having it all ripped away. The easiest way to do this? Avoid contact.

The visitor knocked louder pulling Meredith from her room to the top of the stairs. The glass front door showed Derek standing waiting patiently, dressed in a neat shirt tucked in to a pair of dark jeans. He looked relieved when he saw her.

"I thought you'd run away." He called from outside as she descended down the stairs.

"Still here." She replied, slightly fast, tugging sharply on the handle. "I… Just…" Meredith turned away from him facing back into the house. She felt sick, and her body was tight. Derek smiled calmly, seeing the fear in her eyes,

"Please don't stress, Mer. They'll love you." He placed his hand on her shoulder, but she avoided his eyes like the plague. _Love. That's the problem. _She thought. "When people love me, they leave me. They judge and then they run. My _Mum_ isn't even coming home today." Words spilled out of her mouth before her brain could catch up. When she realised how much she'd already said, he slapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes moistened and she stiffened up.

Derek stood in shock, _yeterday she was fine and now she is freaking out._

"If you're not comfortable, you don't have to come. No one is pressuring you to do anything." He said, softly. There was no judgement in his voice, only concern. He eyes were filled with worry. Meredith was standing facing her mother's liquor cabinet, starring blankly in. They both stood in silence for a long time until Meredith finally whispered,

"I would usually turn to here for comfort… I have no family. My mother bailed on me again tonight and she is slowly disappearing. I have no father, no sisters or brothers, no aunts or uncles. It's me. Just me." She didn't stop staring at the liquor cabinet. "I was okay with that until I met your family. They were warm, loving and happy. I don't _understand_ this. I don't get how they can be so warm and happy, when I am so dark and lonely. Parents don't like me. I will only disappoint them as well."

Her sudden spilling of emotion was almost overwhelming for Derek to handle. He hadn't seen this side of her before, but he knew deep in his heart that he didn't want to run. He wanted to help; he wanted to show her that she could be part of this family too. He could show her the bright and the happy that she had always longed for.

"Mer," he said, his voice calm and quiet, he walked up behind her and pulled her into a tight hug. "You may not have a warm and loving biological family, but you know that my Mum loves you pretty much as much as she loves me, right? And Amy? She doesn't stop talking about you. Kath thinks you're a mini her, and trust me, Dad would have loved you so much." He stepped back, being sure not to crowd her. "I want you in my family, but I don't want to push you into anything you're not comfortable to do. Whatever _you_ want is fine. I'm going to go now, I'm not running away but I want to give you some space. I'll come back in an hour and if you're ready, then you can come back to my house and we'll have a great night, if you're not- then that's fine too. I'll even bring you pie later on. How does that sound?"

Meredith nodded and headed towards the stairs. She stopped and walked back to give Derek a hug. She didn't say anything as she pulled away and headed towards the kitchen.

Derek stood for a moment, mind still reeling, before heading through the front door and closing it silently. _This_ was the emotion he saw when they met. It was deep and scarring. His mind was full as he left her house, which made him think of how terrible she would have felt too. How was he going to explain to his mother and sisters, without them all running over to find her? He heard footsteps fast approaching behind him and felt a small warm hand sneak into his. He looked down to see Meredith standing next to him starring straight ahead.

"It took three shots of tequila, but I need to do this. I need to prove myself that I can be loved."

Derek smiled, squeezing her hand, "Mum baked a secret cheesecake for you. Her excuse was that we needed to try new things on Thanksgiving."

Meredith smiled slightly and leant into Derek more.

"I won't leave your side, I promise."

Meredith exhaled loudly, "thank you."

As they rounded the street to Derek's house, Meredith's gate slowed.

"Why are there so many cars outside your house?" she questioned.

"They're not all ours, I swear. The blue, red, two blacks and the silver - they belong to us. The rest are our neighbours''"

"That's still a lot of family." Her voice hitched and she clutched Derek's hand a little tighter.

"We'll be fine together. We'll hangout with Mark and Amy in the den before dinner and sneak off straight after, okay?"

"Okay." _I can do this, I can do this, I can do this. _She told herself. _Shepherds are not Greys. I am a new me. I am happy and confident. I will be fine. _


	14. Thanksgiving Games

**I've been unhappy with the story lately, so I tried to take a break from uploading for a while to sort it out. I'm not sure if I have sorted it out yet, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.  
We're still at Thanksgiving for the next two chapters, and this is a long one for the time you've all waited. :) The next chapter picks up exactly where this one leaves off!  
Thanks and enjoy! Comments always appreciated. **

As Derek opened the front door, several small parties turned to face them.

"The Shepherd genes are strong." Meredith whispered to Derek standing next to her, gripping his hand.

"Mmm, very strong. Like you." He managed to free his knuckles, holding her wrist as he shut the door behind them. He took her hand again, opting for a looser grip.

"Family!" He called, getting their attention, "This is Meredith! Be nice!" They all waved and called a few 'hellos' and 'nice to meet you', and a few even made comments about Derek's dreamy mood, attributing it to her.

"Come say hello to Mum and Amy, then we'll escape, alright?"

"Yes." She said, strongly. I'm strong and confident, it'll all be fine. She thought walking into the kitchen this time would be different to the first time she'd met his mother, but it wasn't. The feeling in the kitchen was the same. His mother was the same. His sisters were the same. She'd survived the first time, and would survive now.

"Mum?" Derek questioned as he opened the door.

"There you are Derek! I was wondering what kept you." Carolyn sighed in relief, causing Meredith stiffened up again.

"We're not late, you're just worrying like usual." He joked with his Mum, the sides of his eyes crinkling up.

"Shush you." His mother replied, laying the knife down on the chopping board. "Meredith. It's so nice to see you." She walked over, and pulled her into a hug, instinctively knowing something was wrong, but choosing not to address it. Carolyn looked at Derek knowingly, and then looked towards Amy,

"Amy, you're dismissed from kitchen duty. Why don't you go rescue Mark from whichever family member has hijacked him and you can all go hang out in the den until dinner. If you see Kath or Liz, send them in to help. Preferably Liz."

Derek smiled at his mother and nodded a thank you. His mother's intuition was the best and worst part of her. She knew when something was up and how to help, but at the same time, she knew when he'd done something wrong.

"Meredith, I've never loved you more right now." Amy beamed, eagerly slamming her peeler down onto the bench. Carolyn was starring at her with raised eyebrows and a smirk on her face as if she was about to re-instate her with a worse job. "I love you more though, Mum." Amy gushed, trying to butter her up.

"Hmm. That's a bit better. Have fun kids!"  
As Amy ran up to Meredith, pulling her through the door first, Carolyn called after Derek. He turned in the doorway and Caroyln walked up close to him. "Is she alright?" She asked in a hushed tone.

"No, she's not. But, she's trying, really trying. I'll explain later, but for now, please don't expect anything of her. She's here and that is amazing."

"No interrogations, I'll be sure to tell your sisters. Look after her, Derek."

"I will." He nooded at his mother, and then turned to jog down the hall, avoiding certain relatives that would try and engage in an hour long conversation.

XOX

When Derek entered the den, Mark, Meredith and Amy had started watching the football game without him. Mark lay sideways on an arm chair, Amy in the dish chair next to him, and Meredith slumped comfortably into the couch. When she saw Derek enter, she moved her feet to welcome him to join her. He slid in next to her,

"What's the score?" He asked.

"0-10", Mark replied. "We're up, but I think we'll be down soon. We're not that strong at the moment."

Derek took Meredith's hand again and turned his attention towards the television. Hopefully the game would be a big enough distraction until dinner.

At half time, Amy stood and turned to the others, "Drink?" She asked. They all nodded and she set off towards the kitchen, retuning with a jug of soft drink and four glasses. "Mum said dinner is about an hour away. Uncle Tim asked where Derek and 'good mood maker' went, but don't worry, I protected your location. I told him you were out in the garage." She giggled.

"Thanks, Amy." Derek nodded, raising his glass.

"Mmm, really appreciate it." Meredith added. This was only the second thing she had said after being there for over an hour. Amy just smiled, sitting back in her chair, grabbing the magazine from next to her. _No pressure_, Amy thought, _Mum said not to pry, just be a friend_. She smiled over at Meredith, throwing the magazine at her.

"Which dress should I wear to the ball? I like the yellow one, but Mark says I'd look like a banana."

After a moment, Meredith looked up at Amy, "I think I'd have to agree. You could get your friend to wear that weird brown one and she could be the monkey." Mark spluttered and split his drink, laughing at Meredith's sly response. Derek leant back on the arm of the chair, watching as Meredith critiqued each of the dresses on the page. Amy swatted his legs from the couch and pushed in to sit next to Meredith, "I think that leaves us with the one in the middle. Not too short, appropriate cleavage and tight enough to leave the right amount to the imagination." She laughed, remembering Cristina's advice to her before her first date with Derek.

"Excellent choice!" Amy commended her, "and fantastic advice. Want to come to the store with me tomorrow? They're participating in Black Friday this year!" She cheered.

"I… um…" Meredith looked around,

Derek kicked Amy before cutting in, "She's busy."

"No, I'm not. Yes. Amy, I'd love to come." Meredith blurted out_. She's the closest thing to a sister you've got. Shopping won't hurt. You need new clothes anyway, she might even help._

Amy stuck her tongue out at Derek, then looked back at Meredith, "Great! It'll be so much fun." _See? Amy says it'll be fun._

"Better you than me, Grey. She was trying to bribe me to drive her." Mark commented from across the road.

"Only because Derek wouldn't."

"I never said that! Fine, I'll drive you but you're buying us lunch." Derek offered. Amy starred straight ahead, weighing up her options.

"Alright. I'll buy lunch."

They all turned back to the game of football, when a voice called from them up the hallway, followed by a a loud noise a lot of yelling and music. Mark and Amy groaned before standing.

"Crap." Derek said, "Meredith, stay with me." He instructed.

She looked at him, confused and worried, "Derek, what's going on?"

"Thanksgiving tradition. Everyone gets partnered up with a random family member and then we do all these silly party games. Everyone usually gets pretty into it because the winning pair gets out of dishwashing duty and cleaning."

"To give you a better idea, the final game last year was a wheelbarrow race. If your partnered with someone over the age of 30 or one of my sisters, you will be the wheelbarrow." Amy added, rolling her eyes.

"So while we've been in here watching the game, they have been drinking." Mark smirked.

Meredith just laughed and whispered to Derek, "I'm not going to get an easy ride today, am I?"

He shook his head, and grabbed her hands, "Stay close by, I'll twist the rules and you will be my partner."

Mark sidled on over to Derek and spoke into his other ear, "Reckon you could twist the rules for me too and get me Amy as my partner? Just someone who doesn't want to pinch my cheeks the whole time."

Derek laughed, "I'll try, mate."

"DEREK! MARK! AMY! MEREDITH!" the voice hollered again.

"We'd better go." Derek sighed. "Stay close." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

They all wandered back into the entrance way where everyone had gathered and were starting pair up.

"I'm with Mer and Mark's with Amy." Derek announced to his mother, quickly walking away to avoid any argument. He returned to the doorway, where the other three were discussing the events they were about to take part in.

"Wheelbarrow race, egg toss and then what?" Meredith asked, trying to take it all in.

"A mystery event. Changes every year." Amy answered, "I saw Mum buying a lot of broom sticks this week. She tried to brush it off, but come on. It's a weird thing to buy several of."

"Giant piñata?" Meredith smirked. Derek laughed, finally Meredith was beginning to relax.

"Oooh! That'd be exciting!" Amy giggled.

"You could channel your passive aggressive nature," Mark teased.

The sound of a knife tapping on a glass rang through out the room as Carolyn stepped up onto a small footstool so she could be better seen. She cleared her throat and placed the glass on the cabinet next to her.

"Thank you everyone for coming and Happy Thanksgiving. We are lucky to all be together again this year and welcome to our new comers," she smiled at Meredith, "it means a lot to us that you're here and hope you enjoy the day to come." Although she was speaking to the whole room, it was directed at Meredith and pretty much everyone knew it. A few people clapped and Derek felt Meredith tense up again, her grip not loosening until Carolyn began talking again. She continued on listing various family member's big achievements for the year, each followed by a cheer by the people surrounding that person. Meredith just watched quietly from the back of the room at how happy everyone was. The whole family was genuinely pleased for the person in question. They were excited by graduations and swimming trophies and concerts and promotions and recitals. The cheering was all the same. _Maybe it was just this oneday per year, they were like this,_ Meredith though. She highly doubted it, though. From the stories she'd heard from Mark and Derek, this wasn't the case. They all had their quirks and grievances, but at the end of the day, they'd be therefor each other if they ever needed it. Meredith felt a bit like an outsider, the same feeling you get when you're at a museum starring into an exhibit. It's like your there experiencing it, seeing exactly what it's like, but at five pm, you go back to your normal life and it's like you were never there. Watching his family was like a trip to the museum. Although they were warm and welcoming, she didn't undertand it so it was hard to accept. As if by intuition, Derek chose this point to sneak his hand into hers. His hands were always warm and so much larger than hers. It was like he was pulling her into the tableau, and she was trying her hardest not to resist. Deep down she liked the warmth, even if she didn't understand it.

"And finally, this year for the Thanksgiving Games, we're doing things a bit differently. Now Amy, you saw my buying broomsticks last week but that was just to put you off. I returned them the next day." She laughed. Everyone turned to look over at Amy and laughed as she crossed her arms over her chest. Amy didn't look amused, but lightened up when Derek jabbed her in the ribs.

"It's a race. If everyone would join me outside please." She stepped down from the stool and led everyone out to the courtyard where ten buckets of water and ten plates of flour were set up. She took the paper bag from the table, pulling out a handful of bandanas "In pairs, one of you will be blindfolded. You start at the start line and dodge the cones, the blindfolded person has to get the apple slice from the bucket of water, then find the cherry in the flour. The non-blindfolded member must guide them and can help out, but you hands will be tied together. Once you've got the cherry, together you must run to the back fence, grab one of the decorations set out then then run down the drive and hang it on the tree in the front yard. First group sitting at the dinner table wins. Any questions?" Everyone begun to chatter and quickly find a partner which would give them the best chance of winning. Derek just turned and looked at Meredith.

"... I'm going to be the one with my head in the bucket, aren't I?"

She just grinned and nodded.

Without any argument he turned around to one of his aunts who was handing out the bandanas, taking two. He was tying Meredith's hands together when Mark walked over and whispered between them, "you can even keep it for later in the bedroom." He raised his eyebrows before laughing and walking towards the few spares sitting on the chairs. Derek flushed a shade of red she hadn't seen before which made her smile.

"Embarrassed, are we?" She joked as he secured to knot. She continued as he held up his blindfold over his eyes. She had just enough movement in her tie to be able to run her hands through the back of his hair and tie the knot. He leant backwards so she could reach, but the feeling on her fingers on the back of his neck made him shiver. She had never noticed the small curls at the very top of his neck. She was enticed to touch them and instinctively ran her hand trough them as she finished the knot. He shivered under her light touch, wishing his family away. _If only_, he thought.

"Mer?" He called out before he jumped her right then and there.

She moved around so she was now infront of him. Even though it didn't matter now where she stood as he couldn't see a thing, she felt it was the right thing to do. He reached out her hands to find her, and she stood between them.

"Right here."

He smiled, "Good. Glad I haven't lost you. Do we have a game plan?" he questioned.

"To win. That's about all I've got." She thought for a moment, "for the cones, I'll walk backwards infront of you and keep talking, so follow my voice. The bucket and the cherry are pretty much you. I can help you get down and tell you where to go." Her train of thought ended when she got to the final stage, "Can you run with a blindfold on?"

"I don't see why not!" Derek laughed, "but I will require guidence. No leading me into bushes, please."

"No bushes. Got it. Well, I can run ahead and hold your hand, if you can hold the ornament."

"Easy." Derek smiled again. Meredith laughed as he was looking straight over her head, smiling at nothing.

"Starting places, everyone!" A voice yelled.

Meredith lead Derek over to the tape line, standing in front of him as they had agreed. When Carolyn yelled go, Meredith lead Derek out and they were sitting comfortably third place behind an aunty and uncle team and two cousins Meredith hadn't met yet. When they approached the bucket, she giggled at the look of apprehension on his face as he knelt down in front of the buck.

He grimaced, "Here goes nothing. My poor hair." He plunged his head into the bucket, almost instantly whipping it back out, chewing on the apple. "Yum." He grinned, showing the intact skin in his teeth. He ran his hand through his hair, over the bandana, water spraying off in all directions. He looked a little like a drowned rat, and they both knew the flour would be a good addition to the mess.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." He laughed before pressing his face down into the flour. He breathed out sending a cloud of flour off in all directions. When he pulled his face up, his previously clean and crisp shirt was a patchy mess of flour paste and water, and his hair was stuck together in a globular travesty. He coughed a few times, flour spreading further. He wiped down his face, spitting out the cherry pip.

"Beautiful as always," Meredith laughed. "Come on. We might actually win this thing!" They'd lost the aunt and uncle pair behind still searching for the apple. The cousins were halfway up the stairs to the garden.

"Give me your hand." Meredith instructed, taking it. "Ready? Step. Step. Step. Step." She told him as they quickly climbed the stairs. About 50 feet to go! Run!" Her running was severely restricted by having no free hands but she pulled Derek across the garden, neck and neck with the cousins. She grabbed a large decorated pinecone from the fence, handing it to Derek. "Here, take the large, very sparkly, shiny pinecone." Derek felt it for a second, taking her hand and turning to run. "Tell me when we're approaching the stairs!"

The two pairs continued on together until the cousins dropped their ornament and it rolled into the garden. Yelling and screaming, they were left behind as Meredith and Derek continued on, taking the stairs at a fast pace, Mark and Amy hot on their heels. Passing through the gate, they sprinted down the steep drive way, and crossed the lawn to the large tree. Derek held the pinecone out, cupped in his hands for Meredith. She pulled it rfom his hands by the ribbon, stringing it to the lowest branch. They ran towards the house, Derek almost tripping on an pot plant and again on the doormat. As they bolted through the living room, Mark and Amy took a shortcut through the kitchen. She pulled out Derek's chair as he fell into it. Amy did the same for Mark, the cousins soon following. Carolyn watched from the kitchen doorway, laughing as Derek and Mark pulled off their sticky blindfolds, making strange noises. Like an unfortunate tan line, the skin under the blindfold was completely clean, until he rubbed his hair and fresh flower rained them both.

"You look awful, Derek." Meredith smirked.

"You know, this was the chivalrous thing to do. I couldn't have you liking like this..."

"Oooh. You're so kind." She preened.

"Mmm. You owe me. I'm willing to have this paid back in a hug, right now." He laughed.

"That's hardly chivalrous."

He shrugged his shoulders and then rubbed up close to her. He wet hair rubbing into her neck. She tried to push him away but he managed to weasel his way back in. When the next round of pairs entered the living room, Derek begrudgingly pulled away. She wiped her neck with the napkin from her placemat in an attempt to remove the flour and water that had collected. The family continued to filter through the front door and into the dining room, and Carolyn emerged with three sets of hand crafted medals on a golden tray. The room was a buzz again, until Carolyn begun to talk.

"Have fun?" She called above everyone, causing more laughter and chatter. "Alright! Please pay attention everyone for the medal presentation. In third place we have Tom and Elliot. Second place, Mark and Amy." Everyone whooped and cheered as she presented the medals. "And first place, and a free pass to skip washing up duty this year is..." Everyone joined in on a drum roll on the table or their thighs, "Derek and Meredith!" She presented their medals and once more, the room was filled with applause and cheering.

When it finally settled down, Kathleen spoke, "I'd just like to take a moment to welcome Meredith, and everyone look at Derek's hair. It looks terrible." They all started laughing again as Carolyn threw a towel at Derek from behind.

"Dinner will be served in 30 minutes. All you flour-y people can go clean up. Derek and Mark, change your shirts. You look terrible." Everybody laughed at her motherly comments.

"Thanks for that, Mum." Derek rolled his eyes.

"If anyone else wants any clothing changes, ask one of the residents of this house. One of us is bound to have something. Now, dispurse!" She smiled, walking back into the kitchen.

Derek turned to Meredith, putting his hand on her knee. "Im just going to head upstairs on mother's orders. You can either come with me or stay here."

"With you." She stated strongly. Although she had relaxed significantly since ariving, she was still worried about what could happen. He smiled and offered her his hand. Walking upstairs he pushed open his door and Meredith assumed her usual spot on the chair by the wall. She crossed her legs and leant back into the soft seat. She rocked slightly, holding the medal still around her neck in front of her, reading it over and over.

"I'm just going to the bathroom. Might wash off, you know. I'm pretty clean right now."

She looked up and nodded, attention heading straight back to the shiny object in her hands.

"You know you're required to wear that all of dinner?" He could see her face change as she though about it. It all ended with a slight smile. "I'll be in the bathroom. You'll stay here?"

Meredith just stared back at him with a raised eyebrow, "I wasn't planning on coming with you."

"Just asking." he smiled.

He left the room, new clothes in hand, pulling his door shut quietly behind him. Meredith put her head back and closed her eyes. She appreciated the break before dinner and would use the time to relax a little. She opened her eyes and looked around the room. The time she had spent in there, she hadn't spent looking around and observing the surroundings. The two-toned blue walls with white trimmings lined with photographs and certificates made it feel cosy and warm. The hardwood double bed sat in the middle of the room, with a chest of drawers opposite. He had an array of medals and a tie on his wardrobe door. A towel hung from the hook on the back of the door, and his bag for college sat next to the doorway. The room was him to a tee. It was stylish but warm and friendly. A series of photographs lured her to get a better look. She stood from the chair and walked over peering closely at the wall. Derek's first day of school with his sisters. Derek and a famous sports man, as well as his autograph. Mark and Derek covered in mud. A photogrpah at Christmas with his family. A young Derek and a man going fishing. The man looked a lot like him, Meredith could only assume it was his father. They both looked very happy. She didn't realise she had reached out to touch the photograph until The door swung open, making her jump...


	15. Getting Away From It All

**Have you read the previous chapter- Thanksgiving Games? If not, head back and read that one first. It might make more sense. :) **

**Enjoy! **

"Sprung!" Kathleen yelled, "Damn it. Missed again. Third time lucky?" She laughed. "What have you done with Derek?"

"He's showering. Too much flour in too many places..." She stopped, "Sorry. That sounded dirty." Her face remained straight, but Kathleen laughed.

"That's alright. People were asking about you downstairs and someone said they saw you come up with Derek, I only assumed, well, you know."

"We weren't... uh..." Meredith looked really uncomfortable. She just wanted to melt into the ground.

"Right, well, I assume you're hiding - and for good reason, my family can be very scary."

Meredith just nodded slightly. At this moment, Liz burst through the door.

"Catch 'em?" She laughed.

"Nope. He's showering and she's hiding."

"Right, well, Mum wants you Kath."

"Uh. More potatoes." Kath groaned, leaving the room.

Meredith really hoped Liz would leave the room too, but she knew it was highly unlikely she would leave her alone. Nancy would probably join them too - and she was the scariest of the lot. The silence extended close to two minutes before Liz spoke again.

"You know they just want to get to know you. Derek is head over heels for you, and they are all really happy for him. We all just want to know you."

Meredith nodded, but couldn't bring herself to say anything in return. Liz knew the best thing to do was to keep talking. "That photo there, that's Derek and Dad. They were close. 'Men sticking together in a house of girls' Dad used to say. They used to go fishing all the time, and this was on Derek's birthday one year. He caught that fish for himself and he was so proud." She smiled at the memory. "We all thought it was gross, but that just made him love it more."

Meredith started back at the photo, analysing Derek's cheery expression.

"He hasn't been truly happy like that since Dad died. He became the man of the house and he took it hard. Even with Mark around, I don't think he ever felt right. He loves Mum, but she's not Dad. He still feels like he needs to look after us. Things have changed recently though. He has a spring in his step and he's a lot brighter. Everyone has noticed. We think it's you."

Meredith didn't know what to say, but she gave her a weak smile. Her mind was reeling at the meaning of Kathleen's story and how to reply. She stopped and whispered, "I'm trying really hard."

"I know." She nodded. "There's a photo of you for this wall too."

Meredith looked a little confused; she hasn't seen one up on the wall, but Liz just walked over to his chest of drawers, slid away a few papers and pulled a photo frame out from underneath.

"Derek doesn't know we have this framed, but Mum couldn't resist. She waited to give it to him, to make sure you were, how do you say it, 'steady'? But we couldn't wait." She handed Meredith the photo and she instantly realised where it was from. Mark. Mark had taken the photo when they were asleep. She looked at it for a while and then looked at Liz, who was examining her.

"It's a really sweet photo." Liz commented. "You're the first girl he's been like that with. So we want to know you. We're a little crazy, but there's no malice."

Meredith just nodded. She was trying to take it all in. The door flew open again to see Nancy and Amy. _Far out_. Meredith thought.

"Where's Derek?" Amy asked, jumping into his bed, sitting cross legged.

"Shower." Liz answered.

Amy squealed when she saw what Meredith was holding, and she snatched it from her hands. "This photo. Made my life."

Meredith blushed further.

"Hmmm, it is nice to see Derek happy." Nancy spoke. "Liz, Mum wants you to come and shell peas. Also, she'd like I know if you'd seen the set of 8 glasses form the den.." Their conversation continued out of earshot down the hall, leaving Amy and Meredith alone again. _I can deal with Amy_, Meredith thought.

"Right, well, this photo should go right here." Amy stated, putting is right under his lamp on the bedside table. She sat back up and looked at Meredith. "How'd you enjoy the games? Today's was a lot shorter than last years and less blood shed." She laughed. "Last year, Uncle Todd had to get 4 stitches and Tim broke his arm."

Meredith looked at her with her eyes wide, "Seriously?" She asked.

"Yeah, was quite funny, though. Today's - Well done to you two. A real dream team." The door swung open again and she was relived to see Derek standing there in a new shirt and jeans, his hair still wet.

"Amy, how nice of you to join us."

"I was just leaving. I saved her from Nancy, Liz and Kath, though. You should be pleased I am here." Amy said, jumping from the bed and walking out the door, pulling it shut behind her.

"It's true. She did." Meredith nodded.

Derek threw his damp towel on the bed. "Don't believe anything they say." He stated.

She just smirked at him as she knew every word they said was perfectly true and said with meaning. She knew that she had to keep trying and pushing herself. They needed her as much as she needed them.

"Well, if you're sure you're alright, then I'm happy." He smiled and moved closer to her to give her a hug.

"You're happy?" She asked. _Asking someone if they were happy always seems like such a shallow question, like when you ask 'how are you?', if they're not okay, they will just say they are to avoid a long discussion an pointless life discussion. It's much easier to bypass it all by saying 'fine',_ she thought. But this time she was wanting to know the whole truth. He understood what she mean, and he knew his sisters had spurred it on.

"Yeah. I am. I am really happy."

He pulled her closer, and her hands travelled up his back and to his neck again. Her fingers traced his hair line until she his something sticky. Flour and water goo. She pulled her head back and wiped it on his cheek.

"You missed a spot." She laughed. He just rolled his eyes as kissed her. It was a long kiss, but it felt perfect. The door sprung open and the two pulled away very quickly. Kathleen cheered "SPRUNG!" She yelled. "See? Third time lucky! Now, quit the makeout session, dinner is ready. While everyone is washing up, you can come up here and enjoy the peace and quiet and continue." She winked and Meredith blushed once more.

They followed Kath down the hall, trying to pretend as if nothing had happened. They made it to the landing and Amy was walking through the door from the kitchen into the foyer.

"I caught them!" She grinned, and it suddenly felt like a walk of shame.

"Tell anyone and I'll share some embarrassing stories of yours with the family."

"Fine." They both conceded.

The four of them found their places at the table next to Mark, and began to serve up. Dinner would be a delicious distraction for the whole family. All she had to do was smile and enjoy the food.

XOX

"Don't forget about the Thanksgiving "I'm thankful for" announcement before dessert. Start thinking now." Mark whispered.

"Thanks for the heads up." Meredith whispered back as she lined up her cutlery on her dinner plate. She was beyond full, but didn't want to stop eating. Carolyn was beyond an amazing cook. "I couldn't eat another bite."

"It's like that every year," Mark laughed, running his stomach, "and Christmas is worse. Look forward to that!"

At this point in time, an aunt seated next to Mark joined in, "Oh! Christmas is great fun! Lots of food, don't you worry! An excellent family holiday." The man next to her laughed and agreed.

Meredith went to reply, but her voice hitched. _Christmas? _She thought. _Family holiday? ...I don't have a family! _The noise in the room seemed to encroach and suffocate her. Her internal fighting continued on for a few minutes until Amy saw her discomfort and kicked Derek under the table. She darted her eyes over to Meredith, hoping Derek would take the hint. He looked over to see her looking quite upset and confused. She was staring straight at we empty plate, but it was obvious her mid was racing.

"Mer?" He called lightly, placing his hand on her arm. She jumped under his touch and her head snapped around to see his eyes starring at her, filled with concern. He gripped her hand tight. From down the table Carolyn had noticed something was up and quickly jumped in.

"If you two are both done, why don't you head to the den? You don't have to stick around. We've got an hour until dessert or so."

"Thanks, Mum." Derek smiled, leading Meredith from the table and down the hall. They entered the den, Derek closed the door behind then and pulled Meredith onto the couch.

"You're doing a great job. Don't worry, I'm thankful for the silence too." He said, quietly. They sat together in silence for forty five minutes until Meredith yawned.

"I think I just fell asleep."

"Hmm, me too. Eating is tiring." He laughed, "and there is only more to come."

"Derek." She said seriously, "are there any more surprises for today?"

"Surprises? Oh. I'm so sorry about that one before, I forgot about it. No. Well, okay. We eat then have a break then dessert. Oh! We have to list what we're thankful for, then coffee and cake, then more alcohol into the night. Nothing flash." He listed off.

Meredith starring off into space trying to think of something short and concise for what she was thankful for. _College? Food? Water? Life itself? Derek? Could I say I was thankful for Derek? He does help out a lot- but it's hardly something I'd say in front of his entire family_. _I barely know them. I barely know him! _She decided to bite the bullet and just ask him.

"What are you thankful for?"

He paused for a moment, before stating very laughing then stating strongly, "You."

"... Me? You can hardly say that as your answer."

"I can too. Dad always used to say Mum was what he was thankful for, so I'm saying you. I'm thankful for you."

"We're hardly in the same league as your parents, though." She tried to brush it off, but he was adamant.

"Alright, we aren't married, but this year, I have become thankful that you are in my life, so that's what I'm saying." He smiled warmly, "unless you don't want me to, that is. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

She shook her head, "Today has been big. Big steps. May as well make it another..."

"And what are you thankful for?" He asked.

"The Shepherd genes... College... Food... Water... Life itself... ."

"Well, the last 4 don't count as you had them all last year. It needs to be something new. Just the first one will do." He winked, giving her the trademark smile.

"Is that so?" She asked.

"Mmm" he replied, moving in closer to kiss her. "It's - a - pretty - good - genome" he said between light kisses. All she could do to reply was let out a throaty laugh as he pushed her further up against the couch arm.

"We'd, uh, better stop before Kath walks in. Twice in one day would be extra embarrassing." Meredith said, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"You're still thankful for that part of the genome?" He asked, sighing.

"Not the part that likes to embarrass us." She smiled.

The day was going well so far, and she felt like she was handling it alright. Bar the few freak outs, Thanksgiving was something she was thankful for. She was surviving and she could do this.


	16. Milk and Medals

**Holidays mean fast uploads. Hope you're still enjoying the story! :)**

Derek sighed as he quietly pushed open his bedroom door and switched on the light. Today had been a long day; good, but long. He yawned as he pulled off his jacket, hanging it on the doorknob. The sun had set hours ago, and it was freezing outside. Derek had just driven Meredith home; She said she had a good time, and the fact she was still wearing her medal at the end of the night made him happy. After dessert, they had even had coffee and had polite small talk with one of his aunties and Carolyn. Meredith had relaxed and had survived. She had even lost her uncomfortable smile. She stood close to him, holding his hand behind his back for support, but she was joining in with the conversation, even making jokes.

Derek took off his medal and placing it on the top of the chest of drawers, quietly laughing at how the game had unfolded. He pulled off his shirt and threw it into his washing hamper, on top of the crusty mess that was his first shirt of the way day. He leant over, pulling out a new set of sweats and a tshirt to sleep in from the drawers below. Pulling them on, there was a light knock t the door.

"Derek?" The soft voice asked. "Are you still up?" The door slowly slid open a crack to see if it was still alight.

He turned around, "Yeah, I'm still up."

His mum pushed the door open a tiny bit more, stepping into the room, holding out a glass of milk. "I brought you milk like I used to do this when you were a kid. I thought that we keep up so many traditions that this could be kept up too."

"Thanks, Mum."

Derek really loved his mother, she had the ability to know everything about the whole family, without missing out on the details. Her maternal instincts often gave her extrasensory powers.

"You also used to tell me all your secrets and confide in me. We could keep that up too." She suggested. He smirked at his mum's subtlety and sat on the side of the bed. She smiled warmly at her success, sitting next to him. "Now, what happened this morning."

Derek sighed and repositioned himself. "I think it was a build up of a lot of things, and she freaked." He took a sip of the milk, letting out a slight smile at his mother's offering. "I, uh, I didn't know what to do."

"But she obviously came in the end..."

"She was pacing and rambling, and I couldn't do anything. Nothing I said would calm her down. I think it was something to do with her mother not being home, but this hasn't bothered her before. She was stressing so much she was shaking, Mum. She was about to hyperventilate..."

"Oh... Meredith." Carolyn shot in, her eyes full of sorrow and sympathy.

"I was caught off guard. She was so happy and calm before." Derek was getting all worked up again in confusion, tears beginning to build in his eyes. Carolyn just put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. She wanted him to continue, so she didn't say a word.

"She kept going, pacing around the house and rambling. She said it was normal for her to have no one, and people always left her when she got attached. Her Mum and Dad did, apparently. She said that she couldn't allow herself to be accepted into our family as we could only hurt her more. She was so worked up, all I could do to calm her down was the suggest that I left and came back later to pick her up if she was ready."

Carolyn stayed quiet, and nodded.

"I said I'd come back later, give her time to think and she didn't say anything. She just walked into my arms, gave me a long silent hug then walked out of the room. I was just so shocked, I left. I'm not sure it was the right thing to do, but it was the _only_ thing I _could_ do. What should I have done?" He asked his mother.

"Nothing, Derek. So you came back, and she agreed?"

"No, I left and made it about four houses down the street and she ran up behind me."

"That was a quick turn around."

"She said she'd had a few shots of tequila, but she also said that she, um, 'needed to prove to herself that she could be loved again' or something. I told her that I'd keep her safe and we'd avoid too many family members, and I wouldn't leave her side. She looked utterly heart broken."

"She is a very determined girl, Derek. Families aren't the easiest thing, especially one of our size. It must have taken a lot of courage to come running after you."

"I know... But it was all good, until we got to dessert, when you cut in. I think it was the noise because she was talking to Mark and she _knows_ him. He wouldn't have said anything bad. So, we snuck off to the den and sat in silence for an hour. Then dessert, and we talked to a few people. Then I drove her home. She got out of the car, and I walked her to the door. Nothing unusual."

"Derek, you did the right thing. That girl is hurting, and you were there. You see things in black and white, but she doesn't. Excuse the irony, but she sees the grey. Derek, she was still wearing the medal when she left..."

"She was still wearing it when I dropped her off." He smiled, looking down at the floor, finishing his glass of milk. "I'm just scared she's going to run as she thinks I will leave her, or that I'll accidentally push her over the edge! I can't do that to her, Mum."

"Just being there is enough. Call her in the morning to see of she is alright, and tell her that I said I was glad she came and I hope she enjoyed the food."

"Ohh... I forgot. I think her and Amy are going shopping tomorrow."

Carolyn raised her eyebrows in surprise, "with Amy?"

"Yeah, she agreed to help her buy a dress this morning. Amy said she'd buy lunch if I drove... I want to make sure she's alright."

"Talk about jumping in at the deep end. Well, I'm glad she is bonding with Amy. Just keep your distance tomorrow, meet them for lunch, but don't go into the dress shops. She needs that time to learn to walk alone. Meet them for lunch, and see how she's going, then if she wants an out, provide it."

"Thanks, Mum."

"Anytime, Derek. You are your father's son, for sure."

Derek smiled sadly.

"He would have really loved her," his mother added, "without a doubt. Don't let her go, Derek."

"I'll try my hardest." He promised. "Thank you, Mum, for everything you did today. Dinner was delicious as always."

She kissed him on the cheek, "my pleasure. It's nice having you all home, I just wish this weekend was longer. I'm looking forward to Christmas."

"Me too." Derek smiled, putting his head in his Mum's shoulder. "Thanks for the advice."

"Anytime, and I mean that. She's one of a kind. I can see in your eyes how much you like her and she likes you back. You seem very happy."

"I am happy, Mum."

"I knew from that first photo Mark sent that this would be something serious."

"I still haven't seen that photo, you know. And how many photos has Mark sent?!"

"Three or four..." Carolyn shrugged. "You'll see it soon enough." Her eyes glistened as she noticed it sitting on his bedside. "I think that's enough for tonight." She said, taking his empty glass. "You're a good man, Derek."

She stood and walked towards the door, "have a good sleep."

"You too."

She smiled as she turned towards him, switching off his light, leaving the warm glow of his bedside lamp. As he slid under the covers, he rolled over to switch off the lamp and his eyes caught on the new frame. "Mark's photo." He whispered. He slid himself closer to see it, smiling at how relaxed and happy they looked. _I suppose I'll have to thank him one day,_ he thought, _and whoever printed and framed this. _

He switched off the light and rolled over, pulling the blankets up over his shoulders. He knew that Meredith would take a lot of energy to understand, and maybe this would never happen, but at this moment he was confident he could make her happy. He looked forward to lunch the next day, and he was sure, that under it all, she was too.

XXOXX

Meredith quietly climbed the stairs to her room after Derek had dropped her home. She pulled off her coat and scarf, hanging it on the hook next to her wardrobe door. She was breathing deeply as she slowly stripped off her layers, but stopped when she reached her medal. The gold face shone in the dull light, the vibrant red band falling from her hand. With her own and Derek's name etched on the back, and the 'Thanksgiving Games' and the year on the front, it was something she was sure she would keep for life. Her _first_ Thanksgiving. She might have had one when she was a baby, but she was sure it would not have compared to this one. The calibre of the food, the family and entertainment had all be borderline overwhelming, but she never felt unsafe or vulnerable. It was just a lot to handle.

She hung the medal on the side of her mirror above dressing table. This medal and everything it symbolised made her feel warm. It was an unknown feeling. It made her feel wary, but she knew that this feeling right now was nice. She slid her phone from her pocket, punching out a quick text to Cristina saying that she'd survived, and a text to Derek.

_Thank you for not asking questions today and for protecting me. I really did have a good time. My medal is on my dresser, making my whole room a little brighter and shinier. I think it might even be doing the same to me. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I'll walk over at 10? X_

She didn't think he knew how much it meant to her, but she wasn't sure that she could put it into words. She switched off her phone, tossing it onto her chair before pulling on her pyjamas and heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she returned, she pulled her novel from her desk and crawled into bed, pulling her quilt up around her. As she disappeared into fantasy world, she pondered on the day and the day to come. She was convinced she could do this, but she was still unsure as to how hard it would be.


	17. Shopping

**Another easy chapter. Hope you enjoy! :)**

It was just before ten when Derek galloped down the stairs. He had a relaxed smile stretched across his face, and greeted two Liz and Nancy, who were just leaving the kitchen.

"You're looking happy today," Liz smirked, pointing at him with her coffee cup.

"He, Mer and Amy are going shopping today." Kathleen gossiped as she entered from the hallway. "Whipped!" Nancy snorted, wandering into the lounge room. Derek threw her a sarcastic smile. His sisters were all gossip mongrels, but Nancy was by far the worst. She was like a dog with a bone when it came to other people's business. His mother was sitting at the kitchen bench with a glass of coffee and a large notepad and pen in front of her when Derek entered the kitchen.

"Good morning," she smiled.

"Morning!" He grinned back, taking his muesli and bowl from the cupboard.

"You're in a good mood this morning. Amy is just upstairs getting ready, she was awake at the crack of dawn."

"She's only awake early when there is shopping concerned. Plenty of time, Mer said she'd walk over at ten." He glanced at the clock, reading 9:55. "See? Five minutes to spare." He walked over to the fridge, pulling out the carton of milk, pouring it onto his cereal. He was barely halfway through his bowl when there was a knock t the door.

"I'd better get that before one of the others do." Derek jumped from his seat, leaving his food behind. Thankfully he made it to the front door first, pulling it open.

"Hello!" He greeted her.

"Someone's in a good mood today. How are you?" She stepped through the front door, smiling at his cheerful nature.

"Everyone has said that this morning. It must be a good day! I was just finishing breakfast. Have you eaten?"

"I had a toasted sandwich I found in the fridge." She nodded, believing this was a good enough excuse for food.

"That's not food. Come in, and I'll make you pancakes." He took her hand and guided her into the kitchen.

"Meredith, nice to see you again." Carolyn smiled, looking up from her papers.

"All she's eaten is a cold toasted sandwich this morning." Derek dobbed on her.

"I'll make pancakes." Carolyn nodded, standing from the table, laughing. Derek grinned at how easy it was to convince her to cook.

"All _you've_ had is a half eaten bowl of old muesli!" Meredith mocked, "That's no better."

"It's not old, and it won't be half eaten for long." He grinned as he walked over and sat at the bar, picking up his spoon again. "Amy will be down soon, she was just getting changed or something. You will eat, and then we'll go."

As Carolyn whipped up a batch of pancakes, the three of them chatted in the kitchen. The smell wafted through out the house, and soon Amy emerged from upstairs.

"I smelt pancakes… and MEREDITH!" Amy cheered as her attention was diverted from the cooking smell to her guest sitting at the breakfast bar next to Derek.

"You smelt me, hey? I think I need to start showering more often." She smiled slyly.

"Not you, just the pancakes." Amy grinned as she grabbed a plate from the cupboard. Carolyn flipped one from pan into her possession, turning to Derek,

"Would you like one too, dear?"

"No thanks. Muesli was enough. What do you want on yours, Mer?" he asked, standing from his seat to put his bowl in the sink. He walked over to the fridge and started to carefully pull out condiments from around the tightly stacked in plates and bowls of leftovers from yesterday's dinner.

"Any maple syrup?" She asked, sweetly.

"There are at least 4 brands of it in here." He joked as he leant further in, drawing each bottle out. "Here you go." He grinned, sliding each bottle along the along the bench top.

"Mmm. Thank you." She replied, grinning at her food. Carolyn laughed at how wide her eyes had become with excitement. As she took her first bite, her face lit up, "These are AMAZING. I don't think I've ever eaten pancakes this good…" They all laughed as she further drowning them in syrup and inhaled them. Once she reached the end of her stack, she wiped her mouth on the napkin and turned to Derek. "Remind me to never argue about you feeding me again."

He smiled back at her, "You can never go amiss with Mum's pancakes."

"Thank you, Carolyn." Meredith said quietly, sliding her plate forward so she could lean on the bench. "Please let me to do the washing up in return."

"No chance, dear." Carolyn shook her head, "Plus, you three had better be going or you'll miss the sales."

"Yeah, we had. I've got money and my phone. Got your keys, Der?" Amy asked. He held them up next to his face and let them clink together. "Yay. Let's go!" Amy jumped, bounding towards the front door.

"Have a nice day, you three!"  
"We will." Derek called back.

"And thanks again for breakfast!" Meredith replied. After such a good meal, she was feeling a lot better about spending the day shopping.

XOX

It was 1:30 by the time they left the dress shop, Amy carrying a large dress protector over her shoulder by the coathanger.

"I can't believe we got it so cheap!" She grinned.

"Mmm, you did well." Meredith smiled. She had almost reached her shopping limit for the day; her arms weary from carrying the bags of clothes she had bought. She wasn't a big shopper, in fact, she couldn't remember the last time she had bought a new outfit. On days like today, with someone like Amy by her side, she thought she'd make the most of the opportunity and squeeze all of the fashion advice and money-spending pressure she could. Plus, these sales were unbeatable. Meredith was beginning to feel lost in the sea of people, when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She slid it out to see a message from Derek.

_It's been years since lunch, are you ready to escape? _His message was like an oasis in the desert.

"I'm done!" Amy sighed, flopping onto the bench outside the final shop. Her bright bags cascaded around her feet. "I haven't had a trip this successful in a long time!"

Meredith sighed, sitting down next to her, "I'm exhausted."

"Me too. I'm starving… Do you want to ring Derek?"

Meredith nodded,_ thank goodness she was ready too._ She placed her bags down next to her feet and dialled his number, and after a quick chat, he pulled up in front of them. He wound down the window and called out to them, "you ready?" He was very pleased with himself, proud of his timing.

"Yes." Amy stood up, collecting her bags and opening the car door. Meredith slid in next to Derek in the front, placing her much fewer bags at her feet.

"Have fun?" Derek asked, and smiled at Meredith. "Amy seems to have bought out the whole mall."

Meredith nodded, "Pretty much." To say Amy had a knack for finding bargains was an understatement. She had managed to scoop "at lest 12 new outfits", according to her, for under $200.

"But you haven't done too bad either!"

"Amy helped. A lot."

"Yeah! She looks so hot in everything!" Amy nudged Derek's shoulder, "But she wouldn't buy half the clothes I suggest for her…"

"They were a bit…" Meredith tried to defend herself, quietly, making Derek laugh.

"I can imagine." He whispered back.

"But, amongst everything, she bought this red dress… Wowza."

"Wowza?" Derek asked, looking back at her in the rear-view mirror. Amy raised her eyebrows and nodded.

"I hope I get to see this soon, then."

Meredith just raised her eyebrows above her sunglasses and let out a throaty laugh.

Derek whistled along to the radio as he drove the streets to Meredith's house. Her driveway was empty like usual, meaning her Mum wasn't home. She collected her shopping bags and pulled out her keys. She looked back to Amy,

"Thanks for the day, I had fun, and Derek, thanks for driving."

She carefully closed the car door, and quickly walked up to the front door, giving a quick wave from the top of the steps before ducking into the house. As Derek reversed from the driveway, Amy climbed into the front seat next to him.

"Meredith is amazing." Amy stated, as he wound through the streets towards their home.

"Don't I know it…" he smiled.

When they pulled up into their driveway, Carolyn was outside sweeping the porch. She waved, and walked over to greet them.  
"Did you both have fun?"

"Yeah!" Amy agreed, holding all her bags and walking into the house.

Derek was following her in, when Carolyn called out behind him, "and Meredith? Did she have fun?"  
"I think so. She looked exhausted, so I dropped her home. But she continued after lunch, and she even had a few shopping bags."

"I'm glad. Invite her over for breakfast Sunday before you head back to college."

"I'll ring her later on." He nodded, "Thanks, Mum."


	18. Exams

**Thank you to all my lovely reviewers, you all make my day!  
Enjoy the chapter and have a good one! :)  
**

A cold with whistled through the quadrangle as the students faced the plummeting temperature to trudge over to their designated exam hall. They'd been back at college for three weeks and the worst time of the year had come. Exams. The weather was poor, the students were exhausted and everyone was ready for a vacation. Thanksgiving was a cruel taste of relaxation at home, before being thrown back into full on study.

Mark pushed open the door to outside and the cold wall of air hit Derek square in the face. "It's got to be close to snowing. It's freezing!" He moaned, pulling his jacket further across his chest, crossing his arms tighter.

"Probably will while we're in there." Mark agreed. "But back to what we were talking about - Pitchner's touch down last night! It was incredible! Best of the season, I reckon."

"He's a real up and comer." Derek nodded.

"But seriously!" Mark continued, beginning to get excited. He snatched Derek's pencil case from his hand, acting out he play, "he stole the ball, dodging all the players and woah!" Mark threw it up in the air and underestimating his strength, sent Derek's pencil case soaring through the air. It landed with a thud on the roof, "Oops."

"Thanks for that, mate. Now what am I going to write with?" Derek groaned.

"Sorry 'bout that. Someone will have a spare pen..."

"I didn't need a 'spare pen', I had three of my own." He grumbled, trudging grumpily between buildings towards the hall. Mark tried to avoid him placing blame, and had to jog to keep up with Derek's quickening pace. He pulled open the heavy white doors to the entrance foyer where their class was waiting. Mark noticed Callie and a few others standing by a heater outlet and tapped Derek's arm to get his attention. Mark made his way over, and Derek was pleased to see Meredith and Cristina standing with them by the window, cramming.

He walked up behind her and leant on her shoulders just as Cristina asked her last question.

"247." Derek cut in before Meredith could answer.

"Hm. Correct." Cristina nodded. "Hair-products is ready for the exam."

"Hair-products is." Derek laughed, "I still can't believe you call me that."

"No, me either." Meredith agreed. "Mark looks guilty. What's he done?"

"In the last 5 minutes? He's thrown my pencil case on the roof. I have nothing to write with."

"Classic Mark." Meredith rolled her eyes, "Here you go, I have a spare pen and I'm sure Cristina will give you one of her dozen pencils."

Cristina grumbled handing him one from her stack. "If it were anyone but you..."

"I'll take that as a compliment. You are both lifesavers and I shall buy you both a coffee afterwards. We can drink them in front of Mark to make him jealous."

Cristina shrugged her shoulders, and pulled her lips into a small smirk.

"Buy me coffee and I'll bring you stationery every day." Meredith laughed.

Their course councillor walked out from the hall, opening both sets of doors. She explained the rules, stating that they had three hours with ten minutes reading time, and after that, they'd be on holidays until the New Year. Everyone let out a quiet laugh, wishing they could skip the next few hours and be on holidays already.

XOX

"WINNNNTERRR BREAKKKK!" Jackson yelled happily as they all entered the cafeteria. The group was all in high spirits and starving for a hot lunch.

"I so smashed that exam!" Cristina boasted, taking a plate from the queue.

"Tuns better than last year's." Arizona added.

"Those practice questions were useless, though. Glad we are DONE. I just want to go home." Callie replied. Meredith just nodded. She wasn't excited to get home, but she was glad for the holiday, mostly because she was greatly looking forward to a sleep in. Derek was still chatting to George and Lexie, which was stopping her from going up and asking how he felt he went. When he noticed her looking back from the front of the line at her, he pulled a silly face before laughing. She returned the gesture, adding a creepy wave until Cristina threw a cube of cheese at her to get her attention.

"Question 5! Exactly from the textbook. Aren't you glad I said we should do those questions?!" She repeated.

"Yeah. It was a good idea." Meredith smiled, humouring her friend. "I'm just looking forward to a good sleep." She exhaled loudly.

"Uh. Not took excited go home, though. You spending Christmas with Hair-products?"

"I think so. I doubt Mum'll be home and I was invited... The food is amazing last time."

"I remember her cheesecake." Cristina said, licking her lips. "I wouldn't judge you if that were the only reason you went."

Meredith laughed and slapped her friend lightly. "Shush you."

Cristina walked off towards a table in the corner ahead, leaving Meredith serving up her potato salad. Derek broke away from the conversation and managed to sneak up behind Meredith, placing his chin on the side of her neck. She jumped with fright, squishing his face between her cheek and shoulder. He laughed, "I'll be sure not to even sneak up on you when you're holding something sharp!"

"Probably a good plan."

"I'm so glad we're finished for the year. So much so that I am willing to celebrate with a PDA."

"No. No PDA." Meredith frowned.

"Hmmm. No fun."

She beckoned him towards her until his face was centimetres from hers. She blew softly onto his lips and let out a throaty laugh, "cruel aren't I?"

He just moaned like a petulant toddler, which only made her laugh more.

"I'm looking forward to Christmas." She said, changing the subject.

"So you're coming?!" He asked excitedly.

"I think so. I think Mum is working like usual, so if that's alright?"

"More than alright! Mum will be so pleased. And me. I'm very pleased. Prior warning, we have a sledding race before lunch."

"I have never met a family who has more traditions than you do."

"Neither." Derek laughed.

"What happens if it doesn't snow?"

"When has it ever _not_ snowed?" He laughed, "I suppose we'd just do it with snow. I'm not really sure."

As they wandered back with the others to join Cristina at the table, Derek painted a picture of their usual Christmas traditions, which only left Meredith speechless. Her mouth was still open, eyes wide when she slid in next to Cristina.

"That beats a toasted cheese sandwich in front of the TV." She uttered in shock.

"It's not as crazy as it sounds, trust me."

"I trust you, but now I'm a little..."

"Don't be a little anything, but excited. Trust me, it's fun." Derek preened, throwing a small piece if cucumber at her.

Meredith laughed, "Why's everyone throwing food at me?"

"You're irresistible, that's why."

She threw him a coy look.

"You'd better work on your sledding, I'd like to skip the dishes again. Uncle Tim always wins."

"I'll make him need stitches again, then he won't."

"Dangerous. I like it." He smiled, pointing with his fork. "Will you be ready to go by 9 - 9:30 tomorrow?"

"Mmm" she nodded in agreement. "I'll just sleep in the car."

He laughed, but she didn't bother to defend herself, simply shrugging her shoulders.

Mark sitting next to Derek, slapped his arm pulling his attention into his conversation. "Mate. Tell them what your old coach from school used to tell you!" Derek silently excised himself from his conversation with Meredith to appease Mark. In some cases, it was easier to just go with it.

Meredith turned to her right, listening in to Arizona and Callie discuss the latest release of some author Meredith hadn't heard of. She couldn't keep up with their discussion, so turned to her left to Alex and Cristina, who were gossiping.

Cristina noticed her attention on them, quickly involving her.

"Mer! What do you think?"

"I'm not even sure what you're talking about."

"George and Olivia." Alex stated.

"Oh, I think it's cute."

"She's so obviously hiding something." Cristina smirked.

"Eh. Everyone has skeletons on their closet." Meredith shrugged.

"I'll show you my secret if you show me yours." Alex sniggered.

Meredith glared back, rolling her eyes, "Shut up Alex. George is happy, can't we just be happy for him?"

"Mm, what ever. I'm bored with this conversation." Cristina stated, standing up. "I'm going to the library to stock up for the holidays."

Alex barely acknowledged Cristina leaving, but after a few minutes of eating he looked up at Meredith again. "So, you and Shep? Let me know if you need me to kick his ass for anything." In Alex's weird way, this was him accepting his friend. Although he acted like a tool sometimes, he was a good guy deep down and Meredith could see that. He reminded her a lot of herself. He was guarded, and until she met Derek, she acted a lot like him. She put up barriers, and avoided friendships or serious relationships. Meredith nodded back at him in appreciation, placing her cutlery over her plate.

"Coming to the pitch tonight? I think Hunt from upstairs booked out the batting cages nearby. $5 a head, and we've got it all night."

He looked at her for a while, thinking, before looking back at his food. "I'll bring the beer."

Meredith threw him a slight smile, before taking her tray back to the kitchen and heading upstairs to clean up and pack for the holidays.


	19. Christmas Chaos

**Thank you to all the lovely reviews, and guest: there are some more college scenes coming up post Christmas. :) **

**Have a lovely day!**

"I couldn't eat another bite." Meredith stated, placing her napkin onto her empty plate on the table satisfied. She stretched in her chair, feeling a stabbing pain near her stomach. She grimaced hoping no one would notice, changing position in her seat. Her prayers were answered as everyone else was engrossed in conversation or helping clean up the table. She placed her hand on Derek's thigh, smiling warmly at him. He turned from one of the aunts he was making small talk to, and looked over at her. She moved to lean in, wincing in pain. This time, he did see her.

"Are you alright?" He turned around in his chair so their knees were touching, immediately ignoring his aunt. Meredith was slightly doubled over, with her hand on her side.

"Fine. A combination of the sledding and eating too much."

"I could believe that. Your eating skills amaze me, and the way you flew down that hill was incredible." Derek commented, sliding his hand across the top of her back and turning in the chair so their shoulders were touching. She smiled, and placed her head down onto his shoulder, ignoring the continual throbbing pain.

"I'm not going to lie, I'm exhausted." He sighed, glancing over at Mark who was still engaged in an animated conversation with one of Derek's sisters and an uncle. Mark had been accepted into this family a long time ago, and they all considered him to be the second son of Carolyn. He was just as excited for these family reunions as Derek.

"Mmmm, sleep would be nice." She sank further into him closing her eyes.

"Earth to Derek!" A voice hollered from over the table, causing him to sit upright, Meredith's head being flung from his shoulder. "No falling asleep at the table." Amy teased. The sudden movement left Meredith feeling uneasy, and Amy addressing her pained look, "Meredith, are you alright? You look like you're in pain."

"I'm fine," she nodded, pressing her hand into her side, "Just ate too fast." She laughed. "That Christmas cake was beyond amazing. Carolyn, you're a really talented chef." She spoke, trying to direct the attention away from her.

"Thank you, Meredith. I'd love to cook with you one day."

"That's not a good idea," Derek laughed, "She made out entire evacuate last semester when she tried to make toast one morning. She set off the fire alarm." Meredith blushed, before slapping her hand over her eyes, shaking her head.

"How did you know that was me?!"

"You looked the most guilty when we all trudged out in our pyjamas."

Caroyln just laughed, "Well, you can't get worse, dear."

"I wouldn't count on it." Meredith laughed back. _Laughing hurts now_, she thought, _why can't I just be normal and have no issues or embarrassing injuries or stories? Just ignore it, and it'll go away. _

It slowly became dark outside, dinner wound up and the Shepherd family dissipated through out the house. Some headed out on the patio around the outdoor heater, through the kitchen, leading to the college aged kids in the living room. Meredith and Derek curled onto the couch, Amy sitting sideways on an arm chair, Mark lying on his stomach on the floor with a few cousins wandering in and out of the room. Kath joined them for a while with Liz, but had gone in search of a glass of wine half and hour before. They all sat in a comatose state from the amount of delicious food they'd eaten, mesmerised by a predictable low-budget movie. Meredith still had stabbing pains in her stomach, but having Derek's arm wrapped around her waist seemed to be helping the pain. _Probably just that time of the month, _she thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep, but she was roused from her slumber around an hour later feeling very sick. She jumped up from the couch, nearly tripping on Mark and ran down the hall towards the bathroom. Groggily, Derek looked up after having his arm flung away to catch a glimpse of Meredith running down the hall. He rubbed his eyes, slowly standing and walking from the room, following her down the hall. He made it to the door of the bathroom to see her doubled over, revisiting her dinner. His eyes widened, quickly moving in, pulling back her hair and placing his other hand on her back as she continued to heave.

"Mer, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"Not sure. My stomach really hurts. It has been for a while but I brushed it off. It got better this morning so I thought nothing of it, but it's okay now. I feel a lot better." She leant back on the edge of the bath, "I'm sorry. This is really gross…"

"You have nothing to be sorry about! In fact, I'm glad you're here with me and not home alone."

"But I do, this is disgusting, and embarrassing…" She ran her hand through her hair. "I'm so sorry."

"Mer, don't be so-"

"Meredith!" Amy exclaimed pushing into the bathroom, "Are you alright?!" Mark trailed behind her, looking in with sympathy.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. Please. I've been embarrassed too many times in this bathroom." She slowly stood, moving towards the basin to wash her hands.

"Why are we all crowding in the hallway?" Kath asked as she wandered down the hall holding a half empty glass of red wine.

"Meredith ran out of the lounge and was sick." Amy explained promptly, "She says she's fine, but you're a doctor, tell her this isn't normal."

"I am fine!" Meredith insisted, nudging Derek for support.  
"You're beautiful, but you're not fine."

"But I am. Can we just all go back to the lounge? I really want to know if the main girl got the job at the law firm in the end…"

"Oh, when I left she was sitting on the bridge calling her ex who was also her old boss… so there might be something in that!" Mark added.

"This movie is terrible, but I think I'm hooked." Meredith laughed. Her stomach still hurt when she moved, but she didn't dare tell anyone. Derek placed his arm around to waist and led her towards the couch again. They all reassumed their positions with Kath now leaning on the front of Amy's chair. Meredith lay leaning on Derek's chest with her hand protectively on her stomach. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm with his nose buried in her hair. They were soon comfortable again, Derek's arms moving to hold her around her waist. They'd been together for less than half a year, but it felt like a lifetime. They were both so comfortable together. He held her on the couch into his body. His warm hands made her feel comfortable and happy, soothing her pain until it felt all too much again and she found herself needing to run to the bathroom.

"Derek." She hissed, trying to pry her way out of his arms, "Derek, I really need to… I have to…" Before she could pull his hands apart, she managed to grab the waste paper bin sitting next to the couch and empty her stomach into it. The convulsions of her body awoke him, and he sat up abruptly.  
"Mer!"

"I'm fine…" She placed the bin back on the floor and leant back, closing her eyes and breathing slowly through her mouth. At this moment, Carolyn appeared in the doorway, "I was coming to offer coffee, but Meredith, you don't look so good."

"She threw up a few times and she has stomach pain." By this point in time, Amy and Mark had woken up, and moved closer. Amy placed herself on the couch after retrieving Meredith a glass of water from the kitchen.

"I appreciate your concern, but…"

"You're _fine?_" Mark asked, mocking her.

"I am." She replied, scowling, "Seriously, I just need to sleep. It's probably just a virus." She reached for her jacket which were slung over a chair.  
"Or food poisoning," Amy joked, "Kath did help cook after all…"

"It's not food poisoning," Carolyn swatted Amy with a teatowel, "And you think I'm going to let you go home, Meredith? Derek, take her up to your room and make sure she gets into bed. I'll bring up a cup of tea and crackers."

"Please." She looked almost desperate to leave, "I've been fine on my own for 19 years, a virus won't change that." Meredith was almost begging, but Carolyn wasn't going to take any of it.

"Come on," Derek stood, sticking out his hand. She took it standing and feeling her world spin a little. He saw her looking uneasy and moved in closer, holding her steady. She pulled towards the front door was they walked through the entrance way, but Derek won out and headed towards the stairs. He stepped ahead to open his bedroom door. He walked over to his bed and threw back the covers.

"Derek, you really don't have to… I'll get my virus all over your room. I will go home, it's not that far."

"You're not going home. Come on, I'll lie here with you."

She thought about arguing back, but decided it was too hard to fight anymore. She climbed into his bed before he pulled the covers back over her, kissing her forehead, climbing over her and lying behind her. He pulled her hair back from her eyes and exhaled into the back of her neck. "If you're not better by tomorrow, I'll take you to the doctor."

"I don't need a doctor, I just need sleep." She closed her eyes and prayed slightly to herself that she would feel better in the morning.


	20. Hospital for Christmas

**Thank you all for the lovely comments. I hope you enjoy!**

It was five am when Meredith awoke in a cold sweat. She tried to move but she was pinned down by Derek's arm again. She felt hot, and the pain was worse. She tried to move but the nausea shot through her body. Her stomach felt as if it were on fire. She groaned, Derek's arm tightening around her abdomen causing her to dry retch.

She whimpered in pain, "Derek," she cried, "don't squeeze me." She pulled off his arm, hobbling towards the bin under his desk. Derek sat up in bed, looking over at her small frame, uncomfortably crunched over.

"I think I need to take you to the hospital."

She looked over in fear, "Anything but the Gen. Please don't take me there."

Derek nodded, grabbing his sweat shirt from his chair and his keys. He placed his arm under hers and half carried her down the hallway.

"I won't wake Mum, but I need to tell someone. Who would you prefer, Amy or Mark?"

"Can Mark come with us?"

Derek saw the pain in her eyes. She was trying to be strong, but he could tell the pain was more than she could bare.

"Stay here, don't move" He said, tiptoeing down the hall towards Mark's room.

"I wasn't planning on it," she smirked. Even when she was in pain she managed to make a joke. It definitely made Derek feel more optimistic about the situation. Mark hopped from his room pulling on a pair of trackies.

"Grey, I'm sure you will be fine, you know…" He said, trying to reassure her. When they got to the stairs Meredith glanced at Derek, who proceeded to slowly pick her up carefully and carry her.

Mark glanced over, "I'll leave a note in the kitchen, Shep, get her in the car. Where are we headed- Gen or Pres?"

"Pres." They both answered very quickly.

"Pres it is."

Two hours later, Meredith was sitting upright in a hospital bed, gazing around the room. The morphine had kicked in, and she was no longer doubled over the pain. It had even moved the nausea - which she was really glad about. Derek had just stepped outside to take a call from his mother after she'd obviously found the note. Mark was perched on the chair next to her bed, playing a game on his phone. Meredith started to speak,

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaark."

"Yes, Meredith?" He asked, giving her the trademark smile.

"Maaaaaaaaaaark?"

"Yes?" He smirked.

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaark." He didn't even bother answering, he just laughed. "You're pretty." She was smiling at him when Derek walked back into the room, sliding the phone back into his jeans pocket.

"I hope I'm not interrupting." He smirked, "but Mark, what did you write on that note? Mum was close to hysterics with worry."

"Ha. I don't even remember. Something like, _Taking Mer to the hospital, trying to keep her alive. Got our phones._"

"You really do tell it like it is." He rolled his eyes.

"No frills." Mark nodded, pleased with his work. Meredith looked between them giggling, before rubbing her face clumsily. "You're both really pretty." Derek was finally relaxed enough to laugh at how spacey Meredith had become. She had lost any filter on her mouth, acquiring this brutal honesty. "You know, you're both like my brothers. But you're not. It'd be weird if I were dating my brother. Ew. Incesssssssstuous. That's a funny word. Incest. Innnnnncesstuous. Ssss. Sssssssssssssssss." She giggled until something flying past the window outside caught her attention. She sat up and starred intently even when both Mark and Derek tried to distract her. "I really want some watermelon juice."

Derek laughed and looked towards Mark, "does that even exist?"

A short and stern doctor slid open the door to Meredith's rom. "Meredith Grey?" she asked, looking up from her charts. Meredith flicked her head around and nodded. "You have a fever, high white count, and tenderness over McBerney's Point which suggests-"

"Appendicitis!" The three of them called out at once. The doctor looked slightly confused as their snap but correct diagnosis. She looked over to Derek and Mark slightly confused,

"Future med students." he offered. The doctor, Dr Bailey according to her ID badge, nodded in understanding. All eyes turned back to Meredith who was beaming at the doctor.

"Right, well, I won't have to explain much then but we have an opening in the OR this morning, so I'll be back less than an hour to prep you for surgery."

"Thank you, Doctor." Derek said standing as she swiftly left the room. Meredith started to giggle again, reaching for Derek's arm.

"Do ya reckon that I'd be able to count this as lab time? I'm like a few years early, but, it's totally OR time. We should ring Professor Westmount." She said, struggling to find her pocket for her phone. "Where are my pants?!" She yelped, looking horrified.

"Mer, it's okay!" Derek jumped towards her bed, "you're in a hospital gown. Your clothes are just here. You got changed just before you got into bed, remember?" She looked up into his eyes and smiled again. Her mood could shift from terrified to happy within a second, "Yeah!" She replied. "Lucky I have you. Now. Hand me my phone." She said sticking out her hand, nodding surely.

Derek looked at Mark and smirked. Mark laughed and stood from his chair.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Grey. Plus, I think it's at La Casa de Shep."

"That's a p-p-p-pitty!" She replied, "will you ring him when you get home for me?"

"Of course I will." Mark laughed. She seemed to be satisfied with his answer and turned back to Derek. Her hair had fallen over her face. He pushed it away, laughing. He ran his thumb over her cheek bone. Meredith started to giggle again before taking his hand and weaving her fingers in and out of his, pulling him down to sit next to her on the bed.

"Derek!" She whispered loudly, becoming him to come closer with her finger, looking like she wanted to tell him a secret. "You're my boyfriend." She giggled. "At first, I didn't like you because your hair was too perfect. You were so sure of yourself. I thought I could see right through you and your smile!" she laughed, "but I was sooooooo wrong. That smile. It's intoxxxxxxxxicating. It lures you in slowly, and then BAM. You're in for life."

"For life, hey?" Derek questioned.

"Ya-huh. You found me and you cared about me. Plus, your family are all so kind! But Mark, you're still a manwhore, I wasn't wrong about that" She paused, her attention caught by something out of the window again. "... What was I saying?"

"Only things you'll regret tomorrow." Mark laughed at her expense making himself more comfortable in the plastic chair.

"You were just saying how much you love me. And my hair."

"Right." She breathed raising her hand. "You're so kind."

"You're so uninhibited." Mark jostled.

"And I really do like you, like a lot. A whole lot. Mmmm." She smiled at him. "Cristina says I'm smitten. She's like my best friend in the whole entire world. She calls you Hair-products because of you and your hair. You and your hair are always so perfect, even when you run. Like that day when we met by my house. You said you'd been running but your hair was still so perfect... You rescued me and your hair..." She was fixated on his hair, even reaching up to touch it. Placing her head back on the pillow. "You're like my knight in shining whatever."

"I'll never know how you say things so eloquently." He replied squeezing her hand.

"And Mark! You're still a whore." She was fixated on his whoreish behaviour, and he acted shocked by what she was saying, "but you're my favourite dirty mistress."

Derek and Mark just laughed and the room soon fell silent. Mark was playing a game of solitare again, whilst Meredith and Derek leant back on her bed and she began to doze. She awoke abruptly, waking Derek from his dream-like state.

"What is it Mer? Do you feel sick?" She looked over at him, tears in her eyes,

"Derek! I've never ridden a camel in my life! I can't die without having ridden a camel." Mark nearly chocked with laughter and Derek nearly fell off the bed in a mixture of shock and amusement.

"You won't die, Mer." Derek reassured her. "As your knight-in-shining-whatever, I won't let you die without having ridden a camel."

"I think I'm starting to fall for you." She stated quietly, leaning back into him. Mark looked up over his phone to catch Derek's eye, raising an eyebrow. Derek looked surprised about her honesty, but her words warmed his heart. Uninhibited Meredith was professing her honest feelings; no doubts or reservations. Deep down she trusted he'd never hurt her.

"I'll be sure to catch you then." He smiled.

"You two make me want to be sick. I need coffee. Shep?" Mark stood, heading towards the door.

"Please."

"Sorry Grey, I can't get you food or anything... Icechips?"

"Icechips!" She nodded.

Two hours later Meredith was being wheeled out of the room towards the OR,; Mark and Derek having spent this time talking to a very chatty Meredith and trying to keep her away from their phones. Before leaving the room, she had introduced Mark and Derek to the new nurse, whom she had never met before. She introduced them as her " boyfriends", Mark being quick to establish that his title only referred to his gender and their friendship. Derek just laughed with the nurse at them both. Meredith continued on to explain their relationship, as Mark cringed with embarrassment for her. They had said their goodbyes, Meredith playing with Derek's fingers. He kissed her on the forehead before she was wheeled away. She continued laughing with one of the nurses about the painting on the wall that had caught her eye, unphased by her changing scenery. She had commented on how it was an odd scene to be depicted and asked as to what relevance it had to the hospital. The nurse didn't know, but was willing to engage in Meredith's joyful morphine-fuelled banter. Mark and Derek stood in her room, listening to her throaty laugh travel further off into the distance. A final doctor entered the room just after Meredith had left to review a few details. He was quite tall, nervous, with brown hair.

"So, Meredith Grey is having an appendectomy this morning. It shouldn't be too serious, it's a fairly routine procedure. I'll be sure to let you know when she is out and you can come and see your sister then."

Mark scoffed a laugh. "Ha! You obviously weren't here before…" The doctor just looked confused. "Boyfriend and boyfriend's sort of brother/room mate. She lives with us at college, and they're dating." Signalling to Derek.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I suppose it's still some sort of family, hey?"

"Family, yeah." Derek agreed nodding.

"Now, her insurance is all covered, allergies and past medical history is filled in. Do you know if she is on any medication?"

"No, she's not." Derek remember back to a conversation they'd had about supplementary vitamins only days earlier.

"And the last time she ate?"

"About 7pm last night. She's been sick a few times since then." The doctor nodded, scribbling down a few notes.

"And has she had any major or minor surgery in the past three months?"

"No."

"And is there any chance she could be pregnant?"  
Mark let out a loud laugh, nudging Derek.

"Sorry about him. Um, no. We haven't... Uh, well... You're a doctor, you know." Derek laughed awkwardly.

"That's fine." The doctor looked up from his clipboard and smiled reassuringly.

"That's all I really need to know, do you have any questions?"

"I know I shouldn't worry and it's silly, but she'll get through this, right?"

"Doctor Bailey is a fantastic surgeon. She's in good hands. Now, you're more than welcome to stay in her room here, it might be more comfortable than the waiting room." The doctor nodded to them, closing the medical notes and walking off down the hall in the direction Meredith had headed moments earlier.

"I'm sure she'll be just fine, Shep. Just think of this as an excuse to lay in bed together for a week or two while she recovers."

"What if she wants to go home?" Derek asked with caution.

"When has she ever not wanted you around?" Mark asked Derek slapping his arm around his shoulder. "She'll be fine, and I'll go back go having childish fun teasing you both. We've got a lot on her after the stuff she's said today."


	21. Post-Op

**Loved all the comments, thank you! This chapter, last stop for Christmas. Next stop, college again!  
Hope you enjoy! :)  
**

Just over three hours later, Meredith was wheeled back into the hospital room. She was conscious, but only interested in sleeping. By this time, Amy and Carolyn had joined the two boys, even having brought a few supplies from home including some of Derek's sweats. Whilst Carolyn didn't understand why she would want these, Amy assured her that they would be appreciated. They sat around her bed, talking quietly until she awoke. She looked around the room, her mouth dry.

"What's going on? Where am I?" She tried to move but winced in pain.  
Derek and his mother quickly stood and moved to her bedside, Derek sitting down next to her. "You had your appendix out but it was too far gone to be laparoscopic. Don't try and move too much. We've all come to hang out with you for a while."

Carolyn moved in closer, "You can go back to sleep in a moment, dear. I'll take these ones away from you and we'll come visit later on. But Meredith, would you like me to ring your mother?" Meredith felt her stomach drop. She wasn't looking forward to that conversation. She would surely have something to say about the quality of the hospital or the surgeon, and tell Meredith that she shouldn't have gone out or she should have gone straight to the hospital. Whatever she would say, it wouldn't be sympathetic and it would highlight that Meredith had done the wrong thing, like usual.

"My phone…" Meredith's question trailed off.

"It's right here, dear." Carolyn said, pulling it from her purse.  
"I'll call her later on, thank you." She took her phone and slid it onto the table next to her. "She'll still be at the hospital." Meredith shifted in her bed to make herself more comfortable when Amy spoke.

"This hospital?" Carolyn asked, looking towards the door where streams of doctors and nurses were hurriedly passing, hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive 'Ellis Grey'.

"No, she works at Pres." Meredith's eyes fell to the oxygen monitor on her finger, and the IV in her wrist. Derek shifted in his chair as he was beginning to understand why she had been so adamant to avoid heading there earlier this morning.

"Mer, we brought you some clothes too. They're not yours per se, but I know you like this jumper." Amy spoke up.

"Once the doctor has done the post op check up, you should put them on." Derek urged. He loved seeing Meredith in his clothes, it made her look even more huggable. She smiled over at him, before putting her head back on the pillow, exhaling.

"Well," Carolyn started, "Mark, Amy, I have to go do some shopping. Would you both come with me?"

"Of course. We'll be back later on to check up on you." Amy said, smiling, patting Meredith's foot.

Meredith turned to look up and met Derek's eyes. "Will you stay with me?" He nodded, smiling sweetly at her, "and thanks Mark for driving."

Mark, Carolyn and Amy all smiled, waved and left down the corridor to return a few hours later, leaving Derek alone with Meredith. She pulled his hand, signalling for him to come and sit on her bed with her. "Thank you very much for bringing me here too, and staying with me, and looking after me. I really appreciate it."

"Mer, you know I'd do anything for you."

"I'm still allowed to thank you." She smiled and nestled her head into his tshirt, closing her eyes. He put his arm around her, pulling her in closer. She was asleep within minutes, so he leant over for the tv remote finding a terrible movie to pass the time.

The doctor came and went, checking her vitals. It was the same doctor that he had spoken to earlier, and when he noticed her asleep in his arms, he just smiled. "She's looking fine, if there is any pain, just call one of the nurses. I'll order some meds, and one of the nurses can fix her up. If her vitals remain this good, we should be able to send her home in a day or two." He paused, adjusting a few buttons on the machine before continuing, "no physical activity or heavy lifting. Lots of rest, and for the first few days, make sure there is someone around at all times." He smiled, looking back down at the charts as Meredith stirred, Derek rubbed her shoulder, "but you seem to be doing a pretty great job. Any questions, I'm on call all night, don't hesitate to have one of the nurses page me." Derek moved slightly in the bed, reaching out to shake the doctors hand warmly.

"Thank you very much for all your help. We really appreciate it."

"Just my job." He stated, closing the chart for a final time that day, sliding it into the holder at the end of the bed. "I'll be back in a few hours to do another post-op check up and if she keeps her next meal down, I can clear her for solid foods."

Although Meredith's eyes remained shut she was quick to reply, "Good. I'm hungry."

They both laughed, and Derek nodded in affirmation. "That's always a good sign." He laughed. It'd been a long day.

XXXXOXXOXXXX

Meredith sat on the end of her bed at home. After having surgery early Friday morning and discharged Sunday afternoon, she had been living with Derek and needed to come home to get some new clothes. A part of her wished that her Mum would be home when she came by but she knew that was too much to ask. Ellis Grey spent every waking hour at work and most non-waking hours there too. Meredith had a little under two weeks until she had to head back to college, and they'd barely spent an hour together so far.

_Meredith rung her mother telling her about the surgery and she even came to visit her in hospital. She checked her incisions, criticised her for her choice of hospital and studied her charts before asking if she needed any medication. She barely stuck around for the small talk, telling Meredith to make sure she keeps up with her schooling and quoting the signs of infection. She wished her a Happy Thanksgiving, before Meredith interjected. _

_"It's Christmas, Mum." She looked at her, concerned. "December."_

_"Right." Is all her mother could reply, shrugging it off, "That's what I meant." _

_Although she didn't talk to her mother often, Meredith noticed how she was forgetting things more and more. It was lucky her operating time had been halved in the past year due to an increase in teaching time required at her hospital. Ellis was now undertaking a major study, which required full devotion. Meredith began to hope that the chief had noticed too for the safety of the patients, as Ellis certainly wasn't going to admit a weakness. _

_"I'm going home with Derek, I'm not allowed to be alone. You're working." Meredith stated dryly. _

_Her mother nodded, "My work is very important. It pays for the house, your food, your father. Everything." She put back the chart and went to leave. "Ring me if you have any pain and don't get anything stop you from succeeding. Be extraordinary in everything you do, Meredith." _

_"Thanks." And with that, she was gone._

_As if by a turn of fate, Ellis' most juxtaposed character drifted into the room carrying a bag of new clothes, including pyjamas, sweats and underwear, and Tupperware containers of home cooked food. "Hospital food is appalling and you can't go wearing Derek's old grotty clothes. I'm sorry, I don't know what size you are but you look to be similar to Amy. She helped pick them out." She slid the bags over and helped Meredith to get changed. Meredith felt more loved than when her own mother had visited. _

_"Thank you, you really didn't have to. Please let me pay for these"_

_"I know, but I did. I'm not letting you pay. Amy and I had fun, don't you worry. You're welcome to stay with us after you're discharged. Someone needs to be around at all times, and well, Derek says your mother isn't home a lot..."_

_"No, she's not."_

_"You're Derek's girlfriend, which means that you're family. You're like my fifth daughter, and I want to know that you're safe and well looked after. You'll never be an imposition." She stated._

_"Well… Thank you."_

_"No need. Now, eat. I don't want you losing any more weight!" She laughed, sliding her over a fork and opening the container in front of her._

She'd lived with them for 4 days, and Derek dropped her home on the way to the supermarket to grab anything she needed. On the way home, Derek dropped by to pick her up again. When he knocked on the door, she appeared at the top of the stairs, signalling for him to come in.  
"It takes too long for me to climb these," she said as he entered the foyer area. Just as she had done when she entered his house, he recognised the similarities and the different feeling.

"Are you just about ready?" He asked, taking the stairs two by two to meet her at the top.

"Yeah, just let me grab my bag."

"Ha!" He laughed, "I wouldn't even let you do that before your surgery." She'd managed to drag it from her room to the top of the stairs, so he was able to quickly haul it over his shoulder before she tried. His chivalry was always noted and appreciated, especially when she was in pain. She slowly took to the stairs and he walked behind her, ready to give her support if she needed.

"Bye house…" She whispered as she locked the front door behind Derek. She lowered herself into the car slowly, being careful to avoid any sharp movements. They rode back to his house listening to the radio whilst she thought about how glad she was to be heading back to Derek's. However, she couldn't help feel a little guilty that while she was happy, safe, warm and well fed, she wasn't looking after her mother - not that she was ever home, but being there in case she was, and ensuring that she ate properly. She always worried that her mother put her health second to surgery, but there was nothing she could ever do about that.


	22. College Commotion

**Welcome back. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I hopefully won't keep you in suspense for too long!  
Thanks always for the reviews! :)**

"So, an appendectomy over Christmas? All I got to do was stuff and stitch turkey. That's hardly as exciting!" Cristina gawked over Meredith who was lying on her bed reading.

"Mmm… and it all happened on Christmas day."

"So, Shep was there?"

"I was at his house. I threw up in his bathroom, then the living room, then his bedroom." Meredith screwed up her face.

"That's embarrassing." Cristina laughed at her. "How did surgeon-mummy take it?"

"Uh. As clinical as ever. The most loving thing she asked was if I needed more pain meds."

"Practical. I like it." Cristina nodded slyly.

"You two are made for each other." Meredith laughed. "Oh, I got you a Christmas present, it's in my bag over there in the black box."

"Why did you get me a present?" Cristina glared in confusion.

"Just go get it. I'm not getting up."

Cristina walked over to Meredith's closet, and pulled out a black box, slowly prying it open with her fingertips. She pulled out a video tape, staring at it for a moment.

"It's no cardio, but it's a copy of the pioneer 'Grey method' surgery. I thought you might like it."

Cristina just stared at it, with her mouth open, "Like it? I love it. Thank you so much."

"No problem. Now I know you like them, I'll bring a few back every time I go home. Consider me your own personal surgical tape library. Now, can you please hand me that text book? I have to do my prereadings for tomorrow's lecture now I've caught up on today's." Christina threw the text book from the desk, and it landed on Meredith's bed with great force, causing her to flop about.  
"Owwwwww…" She laughed, as the bed stabilised. "Walking around still hurts, let along jumping. Remind me to not have any surgery for a while!"

"Operate on rather than _be_ operated on?" Cristina raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that sounds about right!"

XXXXOXXOXXXX

Saturday mornings meant a sleep in at college. It was the one morning a week that Meredith and Cristina wouldn't leave their room until at least 10. The introduction of late breakfasts, where the mes was still open for breakfast right up until lunch at 12, and the girls often took advantage of this. Even if they weren't sleeping, they'd be lounging about drinking coffee, reading, studying, or watching tv… Whatever they did, it was relaxing. They had been back for a few days spending time preparing for the semester, and since Meredith's surgery, Cristina had stuck by her closer than usual. She studied in their room together more, keeping an eye out for her friend.

"Coffee is no longer satisfying. It's food time." Meredith spoke, propping her magazine open with a bottle on nailpolish on her night stand.

"Agree." Cristina nodded, hopping off her bed, grabbing Meredith's zip up hoodie from her chair, throwing it in her direction. She slid along the floor in her socks, waiting for her at the door.

They walked slowly down to the kitchen, Meredith being sure to take one stair at a time. Two weeks out of surgery and she felt good. They happened to walk into the kitchens as Mark and Derek were standing at the coffee machine laughing. They were dressed in full gym gear and looked as if they'd already had their full work out for the morning. Derek saw her approaching and gave her a full smile, placing his cup back on the bench.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, hugging her lightly.

"Good." She smiled back at him, walking over to face the coffee station, reaching for the milk.

"Ew. This milk smells odd. Oh! Derek, I think I left my camel coloured pants are yours. I tried to ring your Mum, but she didn't answer, so if you speak to her, would you be able to ask, please?"

Mark laughed, nudging Derek, who smirked in return. "I've never ridden one of those though," Mark provoked.

"What? My pants? I'd hope not." Meredith frowned, grabbing another bottle of milk from the fridge. Derek laughed at her.

"Not your pants. Camels. Thinking about doing it this weekend. Anyone want to join me? Shep? Grey?" He raised an eyebrow, taking a sip from his cup. Derek jabbed him in the side, causing him to spill his coffee.

"… I'm alright thanks." Meredith replied, frowning slightly. She shook her head as she tipped out the milk and grabbed another glass. _Mark keeps saying weird things, _she thought to herself, _I wonder what his deal is… _

"Good luck in finding your pants, Grey." Mark laughed.

"I haven't lost them. I know where they are." She called back after him, "He's really acting weird today." Meredith commented, walking with Derek and Cristina to the table Mark had inhabited table by the window.

Derek continued to chuckle, but all Meredith could do in return was shrug. She held her cup by the rim in her fingers, spinning it around on the table, watching the fluid move inside. She phased out, mesmerised by the movement of the fluids.

"Shep. I forgot to tell you! There's watermelon juice over there, but drink too much and BAM. It's almost intoxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxicating." Mark raised his eyebrows as Derek's laugh became louder. They both turned to Meredith, staring at her waiting for her reaction. She gave them both a confused look, frowned and turned back to her coffee. Derek's gaze shifted out the window, where a figure jogging in the distance caught his eye. He nearly spat out his coffee laughing.

"There's Professor Westbourne." Derek coughed out, Mark burst out laughing, nudging her over the table.

"… It's not that funny, is it?" Meredith stared at him quizzically, raising one eyebrow. "Are you sure there isn't something wrong with your room air or something?"

"Wow." Derek smirked, "You really don't remember anything, do you?"

"Obviously not," she muttered taking another sip.

"Hm." Derek smirked, leaning back on his chair. "Never mind then." Meredith was fed up with their confusing banter she felt was directed at her.

"Uh. I came down here for food, not this crappy coffee _or_ your confusing conversations." Meredith groaned, slamming her cup back down. She pushed back the chair slowly, placing her hand over her incision site. She turned around slowly walking towards the kitchen almost limping. Cristina looked up from her mug to see Derek looking uncomfortable. He soon jumped from the table, jogging to catch up with her.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked, walking backwards in front of her.

"Nothing. I'm fine." She scowled, pushing past him to get to the toaster.

"Hey, hey, hey. Stop. Stop. Are you alright?" Derek asked again, placing his hand on her shoulder. She slammed her knife on the table,

"Fine." She practically yelled. "Just not in the mood to be laughed at and then dismissed. Go away. Go back to Mark and continue your stupid conversation obviously directed at me. I don't have a clue what you're talking about."

He felt himself stewing in her anger. Derek went to grab her arm to stop her, but he caught her just as she took her next step, holding her arm back. Her torso twisted causing her to groan loudly in pain. She pulled her arm away from Derek's grasp quickly, and pushed her hand in tighter to her stomach.

"Ahhhhhh." She whimpered, closing her eyes.

"Meredith!" he spoke, "Mer, Meredith, Meredith! What's wrong?"

She ignored him, doubled over her plate on the table. His guilt was increased four fold when he realised it was his action that had hurt her. "Meredith, please tell me what is wrong!" He pleaded.

"Go away." She said, pushing him from helping her stand, but he persisted, stepping in closer and putting his arm under her shoulder before she could fight back. He lifted her to a nearby chair. She sat up, pulling her hand away, noticing the slight tainting of blood on her palm. "I think I ripped my incision."

"Meredith, I am so sorry." He stood up from his crouched position in front of her, all colour draining from his face. "I didn't mean to hurt you, honestly. I don't do this. I don't hurt girls!" He paced around her, until she grabbed his arm to stop him, still hunched over. At this point Cristina noticed the commotion by the kitchen, dropping the conversation she was having with Mark with no excuse. "Mer, crap, are you alright?"

"No. I'm not, I just need to go to the ER and get this checked out, and he is making me dizzy. Get him to stop pacing!"

"This is all my fault." Derek blurted out. Cristina looked him up and down,

"Yeah, it is." Her attention turned to Meredith, who had gone very pale. "Did he push you?"

"He just went to grab my arm to stop me and my body twisted too fast. I think I popped a few stiches."

"Meredith, I am so sorry." Derek endured. The guilt was ten foot deep in his eyes. He felt terrible.

Meredith turned her head to Derek, "Derek. Shut up."

"I'll drive you." He offered.

"Fine, but hurry. I'm bleeding quite a lot now."


	23. Bedrest, Day 1

**A bit of a sappy filler. Nearly up to 100 combined favourites and follows! They mean the world to me.  
Enjoy the new chapter!**

Four hours later she was climbing back onto her bed at college, trying her hardest not to move her abdomen. She had been restitched, prodded, poked and scanned for internal injuries and given antibiotics for what looked like the beginning of an infection. Cristina, sick of Derek following them around like a guilty puppy, had sent him to fill the prescription before helping Meredith back to their room and calling their floor supervisor. Meredith had been sentenced to a week and a half of bed rest to allow the incisions to heal further, banning her from any kind of lifting, bending or movement. He even warned her against showering, and worst of all, the stairs. She was restricted, and she hated it.

An hour passed, and Meredith was already bored. She wasn't used to having to take this much care of her body. She slid over in her bed, trying to be as quiet as possible to not distract Cristina who would make her sit back down again. Meredith had just swung her legs over the side of the bed when Cristina head her bed creak.

"Oi. Get back down."

"Cristina." She whined across the room. "It doesn't hurt and I'm bored."

"Ha!" She snorted, "It doesn't hurt because you're on painkillers. Now sit."

Meredith rolled her eyes before lying down again, grabbing her laptop from her bedside table.  
"This week is going to suck. Suck. Suck. Suck. Suck. Suck." She grumbled. "Stupid appendix. Stupid Derek. Stupid stitches."

"So it IS Derek's fault?"

"Stupid brain man. I'm grumpy and looking for someone to blame. He's was there, so I'm blaming him. I still have no clue what him and Mark were talking about this morning." She rolled her eyes.

"Who can ever tell with those two? Now… We should be studying. I'll even let you pick the subject." Cristina smiled cheesily.

"Oh, how kind of you." She replied sarcastically, "Biochemistry, please."

"Coming right up."

Half an hour later, there was a meek knock at the door. Cristina stood from her position on her stomach on her bed and moved towards the door. She swung it open to see Derek standing there, holding a white plastic shopping bag.

"Yes?" Cristina asked, blocking the doorway.

"I went to the pharmacy and got the prescription, and um, I stopped at the shop too." He offered the bag towards Cristina. She took it before starting to close the door. His heart sunk, he was hoping he'd be able to apologise to Meredith again.

"Cristina, don't be so cruel." Meredith scowled her, "Let him in."

"Fine." She pulled the door back open just in time to see Derek turn away from the door. He heard the hinges squeak, and bowed his head as he slowly entered. Meredith pushed herself up a lightly higher on the bed, she summoned him over towards her. He walked across warily, not wanting to impose. He'd only been in her room a few times, but only once for longer than a few minutes and that was when he was sick. He had never noticed the sweet scent, probably from a mixture of their deodorants, body lotions and perfumes. It smelt cosy. It smelt like Meredith did and it made his insides warm. He glanced down towards her, sitting on the bed. The colour had come back to her cheeks and she looked slightly more relaxed.

"How's the wound?" He asked, chewing on the inside of his lip, bringing his eyebrows together, looking like he was about to cry.

Meredith tried to wave it off. "It's okay."

"I am so sorry Meredith. I really am. I didn't mean to hurt you at all, I shouldn't have laughed, and I am just so sorry. " He was almost pleading with her.

"Derek. You need to calm down or you'll give yourself an ulcer." His heart slowed down, when he saw the sides of her eyes wrinkle when she smiled. "Thanks for getting me my antibiotics. My wallet is on the desk there. Cristina, can you grab it for me?" Cristina stood from her bed, walking over to Meredith's desk before Derek jumped in,

"No, no, don't worry about that. You don't need to do that, consider it my gift to say how sorry I am, and how I will help you with your recovery."

"Pfft. Take the money, Derek." She said scowling.

"Nope. No money. I'm leaving now so you can't pay me. But don't leave the stuff in the bag for too long."  
Before she could even question what he meant, he'd left.

"What's in the bag?" Meredith asked Cristina who had set it down by her wardrobe.

"Damned if I know…" She walked over and picked it up, bring it over to Meredith's bed. Cristina walked back to grab her second textbook, while Meredith dug her hands into the bag. She pulled out the meds, placing them by her bed next to her glass of water, before looking into the bag, smiling. She pulled out a white bakery box, opening it to find two fresh slices of strawberry cheesecake and a DVD. She glanced at the cover. She didn't know why he'd give her this until she snapped open the case and a small note fell out,

_The cheesecake is because I know it's your favourite. Two slices, one for you, one for Yang. (Or both for you, she doesn't know I bought two. I won't judge!). Plus, this movie made you feel better at Christmas, hoping it will do the same now._

_Ps, Don't tell Mark, he still doesn't know what happens to the girl after she spoke to her ex on the bridge. _

_Pps I am so sorry._

She read the note and smiled, placing it back in the case and sliding the DVD next to her lamp. She picked up her phone from next to her computer, typing a message to Derek.

_For the full effect, I need you lying next to me. That's what makes me feel better. I hope you'll be back soon. Ps stop saying sorry. Pps, I can get my revenge by spoiling the movie for Mark. Ppps, Thank you for the cheesecake. It looks delicious._

Before she placed her phone back, it vibrated.

_There is nothing I'd like more right now. Ps, I'll stop apologising when you stop thanking me. ;)_

She smiled _Never going to happen, hey? haha. _She typed, before sliding her phone away.

"Grab two forks." She instructed Cristina, showing her the fresh cheesecake she'd acquired.


	24. Window Sill

**This story... It isn't hugely a 'story' with twists and turns, per se. It's more a collection of short scenes taken from their lives, as if we were to only see bits and pieces. I just though I'd write this on top, as I'm feeling a little uneasy about the way it flows, but that's probably just me. It's hard to tell sometimes when something makes sense to you, if it makes sense for everyone else. I'm not fully happy with this chapter. It's more of a filler rather than anything, I think. Still, I hope that you are enjoying it, and thanks again for all the wonderful reviews/follows/favourites. Have a lovely day!**

Last holidays before leaving to go home, Meredith and Cristina had decided to rearrange their room in order to gain more space. Pushing both desks below the large, long window, and Meredith's bed against the wall, they were able to gain a bit more walking room. It was still a miracle that two beds, two desks, and two wardrobes fit into this pokey space.

Five days into her weeklong bedrest, and she was wishing she could speed up time. Today was only Thursday and she had until at least Sunday stuck in bed. The start of the week had gone slow especially since she was banned from getting the incisions wet, meaning her showering was constricted. She felt sticky and gross, and bored. The boredom was the worst. She had caught up on all her lectures to date, done this week and next week's tutes, and finished all of her course notes, and it was only midday. At around noon, she usually expected visitors. Her friends would bring her lunch and they'd all sit around in her room and gossip about their mornings before setting out again for their afternoon workshops, leaving Meredith alone once more. She was sick of sitting in this room and because her incisions only hurt when she made big movements, so she hardly saw the point of laying in bed. She nearly made it to the end of the hall one day before George caught her and walked her back to her room.

Today was better though because she could finally have a proper shower and wash her hair. She had to avoid getting shampoo in her cut, but it was well worth the effort. She felt a _lot_ better. When Meredith returned to her room, she gazed around for something to do. Seeing her magazine that'd she'd been reading on Saturday before this ordeal, still held open by a bottle of nailpolish on her bedside, she grabbed in and went to sit at her desk. Before pulling out the chair, she looked at the window sill. A window sill wide enough for her to sit on. Meredith had always admired the way their room caught the morning sun, often right up until around 1 pm. She still had an hour to bask in its glory. Removing the books and steadily climbing up onto her desk seemed like the best thing to do in this situation. Meredith smiled and sat, leaning back onto the window frame, pushing the window open at the top, allowing a breeze to enter and make its way through her damp hair. She smiled. It'd been five days since she had been outside, and this window would be as close as she would get for at least a few days. She had soon finished her magazine; feeling the warmth of the sun beginning to slowly slip away. It was approaching 1pm, when she questioned where everyone was. By this point in time, they would have already eaten and soon be on their way. _Thursday… _she thought to herself, _Thursday, Thursday, Thursday… What's on at 1 on a Thursday? _It hit her. _Crap. Derek is with Emily._ The first Thursday of the month? Prac day. She laughed before shaking her head, _Poor Derek, _she thought, _probably being interrogated by Emily as we speak…_. She heard a buzzing noise, looking down to see a text message from Derek flash up on her phone.

_What's so funny?_

She glanced around the room confused, and her phone buzzed again.

_Look down. _

She glanced back down to the quadrangle below she could see a familiar face staring up at her. It was Derek. He put his hands on his hips and smiled. She waved and gestured for him to come on up.

He replied, "I'll grab lunch and see you in a tick. Don't move."

She slid her magazine and phone onto the desk next to her before putting her head back, closing her eyes. The sun had almost all gone now, but the room was still very bright. Much was her mood too. She was excited for her first proper human contact today.

Derek knocked before entering the room, laughing at Meredith's new found position.

"You should really try it, you know." She defended, "It's a great view, and the fresh air is amazing."

She scooted back from the window, being sure not to get stuck in the drapes. Still sitting on her desk, she placed her legs on the chair. He walked closed, placing two plates he'd stacked down with food next to her, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Mhmmm. You smell lovely." He commented, sliding his cheekbone along hers, pushing his nose into her hair, grazing her ear with his lips. This sent a shiver down her spine.

"It's a wonder what a good shower will do."

He pulled his head back, kissing her lightly again, before wrapping her in a hug. She didn't realise how much she had craved physical contact before. He stood next to her hugging her, until the silence was broken by her stomach rumbling.

"Lucky I brought food." He laughed, "Pick a plate."

She picked the one closest to her, taking a fork from next to them.

"Would you like to sit by the window or on the bed?" She asked.

"I've always been partial to a window seat!"

"Come on up." Meredith moved a few of her and Cristina's belongings from the rest of the sill, before Derek slid off his shoes and joined her. She sat with her knees bent, her feet together touching Derek's. A calm silence filled the room as they ate, until Derek spoke.

"Pracs are awful without you. I had to work with Peeping Tom."  
Meredith giggled quietly, looking over her quickly diminishing plate of food.

"He was oddly inquisitive about your injury, and I'm going to just put that down to the fact he's a med student and not thinking about your body." He added, frowning. "And Emily, she was worried about you too. She tried to steal my phone and ring you a few times, but I told her I'd send her well wishes. She let me out early, too."

"Oh, I have to contact her to do a make up sesh." Meredith noted, taping her fork on the plate. "Maybe next week sometime…"

"Well, if you need a prac partner, I'm always willing. They were good experiments actually."

"Thanks, but I wouldn't subject you to that again."

"Well, the offer is there if you choose to take it. I wouldn't mind at all." He flashed her the McDreamy smile, which made her heart speed up. She reached over to grab her water bottle sitting by her desk lamp, taking a swig and offering it to Derek. He unscrewed the top and took a gulp. His nose screwed up.

"How old is this?" he asked smiling.

"Considering I haven't let my room in close to a week… Probably about two weeks old. It's not _that_ bad."

"I'll go refill it after this. You do need fresh water."

"Take me with you!"

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"Pleeease." She whined for a final time, knowing he couldn't deny her of anything.

He could feel himself beginning to cave.,"Fine, but only to the stairs. No further. I'll run down, and then come back, alright?"

"Better than nothing, I suppose." She shrugged, but she had to admit that she was excited to make it past the shower block.

After finishing their lunch, refilling a few drink bottles and returning the plates, Derek helped Meredith back onto her bed. She patted next to her, beckoning him to join. She grabbed her laptop from her bedside, and slid the DVD out from beside the lamp.

"You're not busy this afternoon, are you?"

"Free as a bird!" he nodded. She pulled up the lid to her laptop and slid the DVD in. He lay down on his side, his legs curled around, head propped up with his hand. She sat up straight, leaning back on his chest, placing the laptop in front of them. She looked down at his face, seeing that he was looking up at her. She smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you, Derek."

"You're welcome, Meredith."


	25. Can't Sleep

**Enjoy :)**

Meredith had been lying awake for a while now. She turned her head and checked the clock. 3:04 AM. She continued to stare at it, watching the colon in the middle blink. 3:05. 3:07. 3:10. 3:20. Meredith sighed loudly, sitting up. She slapped her pillow and stood, before grabbing her hoodie from the end of her bed and slowly closing the door behind her. She pulled her hair back into a loose pony tail with the elastic from around her wrist and turned to walk down to the small kitchen at the end of their corridor. What she really wanted was coffee, but if she had any hope of getting back to sleep, she knew she should avoid it like the plague. She sighed, grabbing the milk from the fridge, pouring it into her mug. Placing her mug in the microwave, she went and sat on the fraying couch, putting her legs up on the coffee table. She rested her head back against the wall, closing her eyes. She nearly leapt from her skin when she heard a deep voice speak.

"What are you doing up, Grey?" She looked up to see Mark leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Can't sleep. I've been in bed for 24 hours a day, for 6 days. I'm just not tired any more." The microwave beeped and she went to stand.

"Stay there, I'll get it."

Meredith wasn't about to argue, she had just gotten comfortable, and it was the standing and sitting that hurt the most. "Thanks."

He grabbed a spoon from the drawer, stirring her drink before handing it over. Much the same as she had before, he reached for the coffee before shaking his head and heading for the milk. Meredith sat, holding the warm mug in her hands between her legs. After keying in the time on the microwave, Mark turned and slid to be sitting on the kitchen bench.

"I never asked why you were awake?" She asked with a raised inflection, taking a sip from her hot milk.

"Can't sleep either. Have to be up in an hour and a bit anyway…"

"I still can't understand how you boys manage to get up at 5, train and be energetic all day." She smirked.

"Male pride, I suppose. On the days when you don't want to, you see the other person doing it and to defend your manhood, you do it too."

Meredith appreciated his honesty and knew that there was a lot of truth in what he was saying. Him and Derek growing up together like brothers had instilled a fair amount of brotherly competition. Neither one of them liked to lose.

Meredith's eyelids began to feel heavy again, but she was abruptly awoken by the microwave beeping. Mark had obviously noticed her begin to drift off, and apologised when she was awoken. She just smiled sweetly back, shaking her head, her eyes looking back at her half empty cup. Mark brought his mug over and sat down next to her on the couch.

"I can see why Derek likes you so much."

She was surprised by his conversation topic. "Sorry?" She asked, looking for affirmation.

"I can see why he likes you so much." Mark repeated, "You're so gentle, but you're strong and honest. He called you a 'breath of fresh air' the other day. Although I laughed at him at the time, I kinda get it now."

Meredith sat on the couch. She tensed up a little until she realised that she was in no danger and she relaxed. She had never seen this side of Mark before. He was almost tender. She realised quite a bit of time had passed since someone had spoken and she hadn't responded to his statement.

"I'm not quite sure how to reply to that. Do I say thank you?" She whispered.

"I don't know either, so I'm just going to say yes." He smirked. He took another sip from his drink and looked back at her, "you get that he is still really sorry for last week? He feels absolutely terrible."

She almost snorted with laughter, "he won't let it go will he? I'm fine now. It wasn't even totally his fault."

"He still feels terrible. So do I actually."

"Mark, you weren't even there."

"But _we_ made you grumpy."

"No, I was tired, sore and hungry, and he was standing in the way of my food."

"But we were laughing and didn't explain to you why."

"I don't need to know. Derek tried to explain but I stopped him. I don't need to know anything at all. What you were talking about was between you and him."

"But it wasn't. I can't believe you don't remember!"

"Remember what?"

"Yourself on morphine."

It clicked. "Oh my goodness. _I_ said those things?!"

"You did! It was quite memorable for us, but obviously not for you."

"Oh… Oh no. What did I say!?"

"A whole lot of stuff that we're not likely to forget anytime soon. Firstly, you called me a whore. You told Derek you hated his hair because it was so perfect but now you love it, then you tried to touch it. You told us you wanted watermelon juice. You then fell asleep, and woke up very suddenly almost pulling out your IV, saying that you'd never ridden a camel and that you can't die without doing that… And, oh… what else… You called us 'your boyfriends' to several doctors…" As Mark continued on, she sank lower and lower into her chair further embarrassed.

"Why didn't you stop me?!" She asked, laughing.

"We stopped you from the worst of it. You wanted to ring Professor Westbourne and request that your lab time was reduced as you'd been in the OR. Oh, then you looked down and shrieked because you weren't wearing pants. That was my personal favourite line." Mark laughed.

"I _was_ memorable, hey. I get why you were laughing now." She sat still, finishing her drink, "Sorry I was grumpy."

"You had every right. But if I may say, Grey, thanks for the memories."

"Anytime."

"Do you want to get revenge on Shep? He was sleeping in a very compromising position when I left..."

Meredith smirked and sank further into the couch, until she remembered what Derek had said to her a few days ago. _Tell Mark what happened to the girl on the bridge. It'll be good revenge. _She giggled under her breath,

"I can make peace with him later, but it's just something he said a few days ago that has stuck with me that I really need to tell you…" Meredith hinted.

Mark looked at her quizzically, egging her to continue and explain.

"He, um, he said that I should tell you that, the girl on the bridge in that movie we watched, well, she bought out the rival company and sued him for his crappy treatment and lies and then right at the end of the movie, she meets a new guy and it's assumed they lived happily ever after."

"What?! But she was so… quiet! He was blackmailing her!" Mark questioned loudly, sitting on the edge of the couch. "Story ruined!"

"Sorry, mate." Meredith replied to him, "It was Derek's idea for me to tell you."

"I can't believe it…" He sighed, leaning back. "I was so looking forward to watching that…"

"Pfft. You were not." Meredith rolled her eyes, laughing quietly.  
"Yeah, you're right. It was a good story, though!"

"It really wasn't!" Meredith laughed.

"… No. It was pretty awful."

They both started to laugh again, until they heard a door in the hallway click open. Shushing each other, Meredith leant over on the couch to get a view down the hall. She saw a dark haired figure take a step out into the corridor, rubbing his head. He looked down and caught her eye smiling. His tight dark grey tshirt just covered the waist band of his pyjama bottoms as he walked. He smiled down at her when he walked through the door his eyes drifted up the second pair of legs next to her to see Mark smiling. The smile fell from Derek's face and was replaced with a mixture of fear and confusion.

"Why are you two both awake at 4am? Together, laughing, awake at 4 am?" He asked, his eyes wide with fear.

"Couldn't sleep." Meredith shrugged completely missing his obvious concern. "Yeah, I couldn't either." Mark added, seeing where Derek was coming from, "So we stopped and had a chat, a completely _innocent_ chat. I told her about her on morphine and she ruined the end of the movie for me."

"I am sufficiently embarrassed, don't worry, and I'm sorry for being grumpy last week." She looked over at Mark who was smiling awkwardly, realising why Derek had become so tense. Meredith let out a laugh, whispering to Mark,

"I think I just got him back. He probably just had a small heart attack."

Derek breathed a sigh of relief, smiling.

"I thought I heard your laugh down the hall when I got up. I'm glad it was you." He walked over to the cabinet, pulling out a tall glass and filling it with water. He walked back and shut the door to the kitchen area and swiped the remote from the table. "I'm sure there will be something particularly terrible on at this hour!"

Meredith sat up straight, holding out her mug. "Can you please grab me a glass of water?" She asked, smiling sweetly. He took her cup, rinsed and refilled it, walking to sit next to her. He slowly lowered himself onto the couch, wriggling in to fit right next to her, before handing her the cup.

"Thank you." She replied, placing her head on his shoulder, taking his free hand in hers. He set his cup down and tossed Mark the remote. "Your choice."

Mark nodded, flicking through the channels as Meredith wriggled to make herself more comfortable, pulling Derek's arm over into her lap. She pulled her legs up laying them next to Mark. Leaning further into Derek, she sighed happily. Being awake at 4am with two friends, sitting on a dirty old couch wasn't all that bad of a way to spend the morning.


	26. Freedom and Danger

**Two fillers, and a Happy Easter to you! :) Thanks for the love!**

Meredith was grinning as she sat cross legged in the dim light on her bed. Not only was she beaming, but she was fidgeting with excitement. It was 6am, and she couldn't sleep anymore. Today was the day she was off of bed rest, and she was excited. Meredith had tried to subtly wake Cristina up by dropping a textbook or sending her a text message, but her friend was not intending to waking up anytime soon.

"Stop staring at me and go back to sleep." Cristina scolded, sleepily, her face pushed into the pillow. Her eyes remained shut as she spoke, and she quickly pulled the covers over her head.

"I'm excited and bored and I want to get up!" Meredith replied.  
"Then go. I'm not stopping you. You're off probation. No more monitoring. No more babysitting."

"Ahh! Good! I'll go find other people to share my fantastic morning with."

"Mmm. Come back in an hour and I'll be happy for you." Cristina yawned.

Meredith smirked at her response, somehow she knew that Cristina was happy for her, but she really wanted to get out of the room now. She was sick of waiting. Climbing from her bed, Meredith padded out to the hallway, looking both ways before she wandered towards the stairs. It was still dark outside, and the chances of anyone being awake were slim. _Anyone except people that went to the gym! _She thought. Pleased with her realisation, she quickly walked back to her room, grabbed her shoes, key and hoodie and headed for the gym.

She was almost skipping, jumping from paver to paver until it became sore, but she didn't care. She was free. She was in the fresh air, and she was loving it.

When she reached the glass doors to the gym, she eyed Derek, Mark and Jackson engaging in male banter. As Mark sweated and tried to hide his pain while bench pressing his weight, Jackson was going all out on a rowing machine, and Derek's usually composed self was hunched over the handle bars of a bike, as his legs pushed him on. Meredith stoof outside for a moment, watching the way they interacted with each other. She pressed her room key to the sensor on the door and quietly slipped in to the room, avoiding a large tower of gym balls, adjacent to weights. The click of the door casued Mark to look over from his weights.

"Ha!" Mark laughed, placing the weight back on the rest, "Look who's here!" Derek continued to pedal, ignoring Mark's comment.  
"Get back down, Mark. You're not putting me through hell, and then whimping out on your last set!" Derek yelled after him, still pedalling like mad. Mark gestured for Meredith to come over, as he replied to Derek,

"Ahh, you got me. Fine. One more set." He pretended to concede, while subtly urging Meredith to creep around to the handle bars of Derek's bike. As the intensity of his ride increased, he shut his eyes, letting his head drop to his chest, panting. His legs continued to cycle, but he lost concentration on the room, giving Mark the perfect opportunity to pull Meredith around. Jackson laughed quietly as he watched the situation unfold. Meredith smiled, but wasn't sure why Mark was pushing for her to stand there so hard, but she did as she was told. She leant forward to lean on the handle bars, and as soon as Derek looked up, she understood. Derek was drenched in sweat and looked like he was in serious pain. The surprise of seeing Meredith gave him a heart attack, but his shoe got stuck in the pedal and he nearly fell of sideways. He was luckily able to rectify the situation quickly, pulling his foot out. He was panting both from shock and the cardio work out, when he pushed himself back onto the bike seat.

"Mer! You're," he coughed, "Out of," coughed again, "bed!"

"I am out of bed." She replied, proudly. "It's Sunday and I am no longer on bed rest." She was grinning like a little girl. "Cristina wouldn't get up and told me to come back in an hour because I was staring at her whilst she slept, so… I decided I'd come find you and I knew I'd find you three here."

"I've got 2km left on here, I'll be done in no time." Derek grinned, "Then I'll shower and breakfast?"

"Oh! I'll join you!" Meredith beamed.

"… In the shower?" Mark asked, raising an eyebrow, grinning mischievously.

Jackson laughed and punched Mark's shoulder.

"You know what I mean." she rolled her eyes at them, "MWWWWWA!" She kissed Derek's salty forehead as a joke, then turned around and sat on the stack of yoga mats by the mirrored wall, "Now, come on boys, you're acting like a bunch of girls. Do another set, or 50 push ups, or… something." She instructed with her most gruff and authoritarian voice.

"Bossy. I like it." Mark smirked, glancing at Derek.

"Did you finish your readings?" Jackson asked, as he confidently rowed. Every draw on the machine, his muscles tightening.

"One to go." Mark replied.

"They were boring…" Meredith agreed, "But anything has got to be better than bedrest at the moment. I'm just ready to get back into work, and lectures and tutorials and stairs and people and walking!"

"Slow and steady." Derek reminded her, looking up from the bike.

"Pfft. I'm bright and shiny. Today is going to be awesome." Meredith grinned.

And it was. Meredith for the first time in a long time, enjoyed attending her lectures. She enjoyed walking between the buildings, and she really loved hanging out with her friends. She felt included and happy. It was good to be back.

XXXXOXXOXXXX

A week into February and Meredith went to the local hospital for her scheduled check up. Unlike last time, she didn't have to go through the ER. She had given a clean bill of health and was more than overjoyed to go back to a normal life. Derek had driven her and they decided to go out for a celebratory icecream.

Sitting in the back of the store, they both sat sucking on the small, exotically coloured translucent plastic spoons they had been given, scraping away at their flavoured desserts. His dark sunglasses he wore while driving were pushed up to the top of his head, sitting nestled in his hair.

They left the shop, fingers intertwined. While waiting at a traffic light, he pulled her in closer for a hug, resting his head on the top of hers. He loved how she was shorter than him. It made it easier for the flowerly scent of her hair to reach his nose, and he planted several short kisses on the top of her head.

As the lights turned green to walk, he let go of all but her hand, as they stepped out onto the road. They heard a roar on the right, and Derek turned his head to catch a glimpse of speeding towards them. Unphased by the red light, the car continued on, speeding closer by the second. Time stopped. Their paths were about to cross. Derek closed his eyes, swinging back, pushing Meredith out of the way. He felt the breeze pass his face, only centimentres away from his body. He felt the reverbirations of the spoiler through his body. As the car sped down the street, Derek spun to see Meredith lying on the road behind him.

"MEREDITH!" he shouted, spinning around, crouching down by her side, "MEREDITH!"

"What on earth just happened?" She asked, rubbing her stomach with one hand and holding the back of her head with the other as he helped her up.

"We just escaped death. Are you sure you're alright?"  
"Yeah, fine. Are you?" She was just as concerned for his wellbeing as he was for hers.

"I am." He nodded, grasping her hand tigher, leading her from the road. When they arrived back to his car, his heart was still going at a million miles an hour.

"We've got to stop almost getting seriously injured." He joked.

"Sounds like a good plan." She laughed. "Enough hospital visits for the year."

"Agreed."

"Now, drive us home safely, please Derek."

He turned and smiled at her, before reversing from the park and heading off towards college. "I can't go losing you now." Even though her tone was a lot quieter than the first sentence, he still heard every word. He placed his hand on the side of her face, before reaching her her hand, squeezing and and returning it to the gear stick.

Under his touch, she felt her body soften, and she hoped this would be the last time she'd nearly die for the year.

XXXXOXXOXXXX


	27. Resgam

**A double whammy for this week! What do you prefer? Longer or shorter chapters? I could have split this one in two, but, I think this is more fun as one long chapter. Whether you read it in 1, 2, 3 or 4 sittings... I hope you enjoy!**

Choosing your res at college, not only chooses your home, and food, but chooses your friends and lifestyle. Some accommodations were famous for partying, some for studying, and some for notorious police visits. The type of student you become could be directly traced back to your living environment. From day one, you pledge an allegiance to your fellow dwellers. These allegiances live as friendships through out the year; a smile or hello around the campus, a hand if you drop a book, but, they come alive at inter-res sport. College pride caused students to dye hair, don zinc and to brought out their extremely competitive sides. Students who only ever hit the books were hitting the track for a chance at a 3km in under 20 minutes, joining sporting teams for participation points, and upping community service hours for bonus marks. Anything and everything the students could do, they would for the chance at the overall competition shield. The shield was only a piece of metal, it wasn't even shiny, but that shield gave bragging rights and meant a lot in social hierarchy.

Exams had come and gone and the three days before spring break all students living on campus hung around for the biggest event of the year- inter-residentional games, also know as the _res-gam_. Each days were a round-robin style competition. On Wednesday - Softball in the morning, field hockey in the afternoon, followed by an indoor sport- bocce. Thursday: Football, basketball, and trivia. Friday: Track and field, and Touch football. The final night boasted the largest party of the year. Anytime the students weren't competing, they were supporting their other students.

Derek, Mark, George and Jackson had signed up for football, touch and the odd track and field event. While Callie and Arizona decided softball was the go, Meredith and Cristina were at a loss as to what to sign up for.

"I'm too uncoordinated for sports." Meredith whined, staring at the sign up sheets by the entrance to the food hall.

"I just don't want to hurt my hands. These things will earn me millions one day."

"Ok… Look, we can't play football, but touch? We could do touch? The others are already signed up… It's supposedly non-contact, and it's unisex and it could be fun!"

"Fine. That and I suppose the 5k. I hear the seniors water bomb the other res kids to put them off." Cristina laughed. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she reached to pick it up, reading the message. "Callie says that we'd better join softball and trivia."  
"Only if we're in the outfield." Meredith stated, scribbling their names on the forms. "We're in on trivia too."

"Fine by me."

XOX

Although softball was a win, but this was not attributed to their efforts. Lexie from two floors up was a star player, Callie and Arizona also hitting a few home runs. Meredith and Cristina sat in the outfield, chasing a few long hits, but were rarely much help. Trivia night was another story.

The clock struck 7:00 pm as the students chatted excitedly making their way to their tables assembled in the cleared out library mezzanine. Tired from their day of supporting or playing sport, they all wore more lounge clothes, wearing their res jumper or team colours. Trivia night, as well as the touch football finals, were always a personal favourites amongst the students. It was a very laid back competition, but often became quite intense and heated by the end. Good, old fashioned fun.

Meredith and Jackson met in the stairwell by chance, and walked into the library together, reminiscing about the antics of the football game. Mark had been punched by another student for what he called _necessary friendly banter, _which lead to a small brawl, only to be broken up by Derek and Jackson, pulling Mark from said student and his mates. Although the other guy beared the brunt of the injuries, Derek ended up with a cut above his left eyebrow, and Jackson sustained a large bruise over his right shoulder. Mark somehow only ended up with a slightly sprained wrist, but still thought it was a laugh riot. Meredith bumped Jackson's shoulder laughing, and he clutched his arm pretending to be in pain. As they walked through the door, they caught the eyes of Lexie and red haired Owen Hunt from upstairs, sitting with Arizona and Mark at a circular table close to the front of the room. The centre was filled with opened bags of food and drinks. Everyone was laughing. As Meredith and Jackson approached the table, Derek, as well as Callie and Cristina were walking towards the table too, from different directions. As each set of eyes at the table saw the others, they cheered. They all laughed at the sudden loud excitory greeting noise everyone was making escalated as they realised that most of their team had assembled. They all sat, all engaging in conversation with their neighbours. The end of school vibe, as well as the excitement for the competition fuelled the excitement. Lexie was famous college wide for having a photographic memory, so, by sitting her down with a deck of cards from Trivial Persuit the night before, with the others sitting around with random fact books and newspapers, the team felt prepared to 'kick ass'.

Seven rounds later, and they were ahead by eight. The competition was intense, and the room was buzzing. Answers were being yelled left right and centre. People were standing, and basically crawling on the tables to get close to the answer sheets, trying to convince the team that their answer was correct. Every now and then, someone would answer a question with the first thing that had come to mind, and it would be a completely stupid answer. Cristina threw an empty cup at Jackson's head when he suggested that there were only five continents in the world. Everyone just laughed, enjoying the relaxed and happy mood of the room.

By the end of the night, they'd eaten through their weight of junk food and laughed more than they had done the entire semester combined. As they all headed up onstage to collect their trophy, Mark nodded towards Derek, and they both approached Lexie from behind, lifting her onto their shoulders. Jackson stood behind as backup to make sure they didn't drop her. She squealed as she felt herself being lifted, but proudly held the trophy above her head, joining in with the team chanting. They continued to cheer and woot back to their residence, all the way up the common room where they pulled all the couches to be in a circle. Mark still chanting the loudest, he jumped onto the table in the middle, pacing end to end.

"We DOMINATED the football. We DOMINATED the SOFTBALL. We… sucked at bowls, but, we DOMINATED the trivia! Tomorrow, we will DOMINATE the track and field, and we will DOMINATE the touch football." The whole group cheered loudly. "I can't hear you!" They cheered louder, all standing surrounding the table Mark was standing on., waving their arms. Owen turned around and ran away from the group, casuign everyone to turn and look to see what he was doing. He reached the stereo, switching it on and blasting the radio. As the loud music filled the room, the entire group began to dance like crazy, Lexie even joining Mark on the table. While Mark began to grind, she turned around and gave him the third degree before laughing. Meredith looked over to see their flirtation evolve, before moving her eyes on to catch Derek who was starring over at her. He began to dance terribly, pulling off his coat, only encougaged by her raised eyebrows and stiffled laughs before dancing his way across the room, sticking his arms out for her to dancing with him.

The danced for another hour before flopping onto the couches before parting, promising to meet for a team breakfast before the 5km run and track events.

XOX

Cristina and Meredith scraped in under the thirty minute mark, high fiving before bending over, panting. Mark, Derek and Jackson all stood on the sidelines cheering them on. Their chanting and excited cheering only increased as the girls looked at each other and walked from the track towards them. Mark was the loudest of them all, his deep voice booming through out the stadium. People from other colleges often frowned at him, most likely jealous of his extreme competitive college spirit. Their friends just laughed, often joining him in the silly chants and songs he'd researched.

Losing to their rivals by two points, the entire three day competition came down to the touch football finals. Scores were tired, with less than a minute remaining. In the past 40 minutes, Meredith had discovered that she was quite good at the dipping and dodging required for this game, and although her technique left a lot to be desired, she had some natural talent. The final siren sounded, as the teams huddled on their respective sides, preparing for the 'drop off', a sudden death competition, where every two minutes, one player from the team of six is taken off until someone scores a touchdown. As Meredith, Jackson, George, Lexie and Mark walked back out onto the field, each slapping each other's backs for camaraderie, Mark strutted towards the centre line, ready to begin. Rolling the ball back to Lexie, she charged up the pitch making it further than half way before being taken out. The next five touches all occurred within ten metres, swapping the play over to the opposing team. The ball travelled up and down the pitched several times, before George finally had possession. He began to run as hard as he could before one of the opposition lunged out to grab George, throwing him to the ground. The loud pop was heard by the whole team as George slowly rolled onto his back groaning, something not right. He held onto his shoulder, before slowly trying to stand, his arm hanging limp. He looked slightly embarrassed, and tried to hide any of the pain he was in. As his team gathered around him, one of the umpires met them, blowing the whistle,

"Penalty and injury rule, but, it is first players off. I assume attacking will be sending off number 5 and defending you have 30 seconds to select before the play begins again. Now," she turned back to George, "your arm… That looks painful. Dislocated shoulder... Head over to first aid and get that checked up." George nodded as Arizona ran onto the pitch to accompany him.

"I'll go with you. You might need a friend when they pop it back in." She smiled.

"Thanks." He replied, grimacing.  
"We'll win for you, George." Lexie beamed, before Mark could join in.

"ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE INJURY! GEORGE! GEORGE! GEORGE!"  
The crowd cheered, as George smiled towards the crowd, treading carefully as to not slip on the muddy pitch.

"Alright." The umpire called, "5 out on injury, and 12 out on the opposition, attacking with 4 taps remaining." Another four intense minutes passed, leaving just Meredith, Jackson and Lexie defending their pride. Mark's wrist was fully swollen now, he'd tried to hide it but the umpire noticed and decided he was the next removal.

Twenty metres from the touchdown line, Meredith was accepting the ball from Jackson. As he ran in front of her to block, another player lunged sideways. Jackson tried to stop them, but it was too late, and Meredith was taken out. She lay still on the ground, the ball rolling dramatically away from her. She felt the impact as her body was pushed to the ground, her head swinging back. She wasn't sure if it was just in her head, but the gathered crowd had fallen completely silent. She felt a dull pain, but opened her eyes, to see Jackson bent over next to her.

"Meredith, Meredith!" He looked worried. Really worried. "Are you alright?"

She squinted her eyes before blinking heavily a few times, alternating eyes and screwing up her face.

"Jackson?" She coughed, blinking her eyes a few more times. "Yeah, I'm fine. Down, but not out." She replied, grinning. He stood next to her, sticking out his hand, helping her up. The brushed off the grass from her shorts, grabbing the ball before the umpire walked over again.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing hurts… Too badly." She nodded, holding the back of her head.

"Alright. I shouldn't be letting you play due to risk of concussion, but you won't be happy if I subbed you off now, would you?"

"No." She laughed,

"If you feel sick at all or anything, stop immediately and I'll call time. Okay?"

"Sure, thank you." She nodded.

"You're the next sub off, though. You've got a minute and a half remaining."

"Okay." The umpire smiled back at Meredith, taking a few steps backwards as the group reassembled into their positions before she sharply blew the whistle.

"Let's try and keep this less contact, please. Any more injuries and it will be declared a draw for safety. 4 touches remaining, play on!"

Meredith rolled the ball back to Jackson, who took off down the field ahead of everyone, dodging two of their three remaining players. Lexie backed him up from behind, providing an out only milliseconds before the was tagged. Meredith couldn't quite keep up with their sprinting, her headache combined with the exhaustion from the match and the past two days combined, made her gate slow quicker. She hung back providing an alternate passing point if required. Lexie continued to dodge them, passing the ball off to Jackson again, before he ducked for a final time, sliding along the worn, muddy touchline between the legs of the two players he'd closely missed earlier.

Jackson, stood, beaming throwing the ball up in the air when he realised what had just happened. Lexie turned to Meredith, before they all ran towards Jackson, jumping up and down with excitement. The three of them cheered as the umpire blew the whistle for a final time.

"We have a winner!"

The remaining 11 team members all ran onto the pitch, surrounding Jackson, Meredith and Lexie, hollering with excitement. The team jumped around like their dancing last night, but with more energy than ever.

For a final time for the year, Mark , holding a large icepack to his wrist yelled above the cheering.

"Three cheers for Avery and the two Greys!" As the team cheered, they all laughed, before childishly screaming with excitement, laughing, jumping form leg to leg. When the excitement had died down, and partially self-elected team captain, Mark had collected the trophy for the touch football, overall presentations were made, naming their college as the champions for the year. As they all headed back to shower, finish packing and change for that night's celebrations, the continued to laugh and carry on.

Cristina slung her arm around Meredith's shoulder, "Mer, touch football. Never would have picked it!" She laughed, "Good game, though."

"It was! Really fun!" Meredith nodded enthusiastically before sliding her card into the door.

"Oh, Hair-products was looking for you before. Wanted to congratulate you and check that you're okay after being pushed to the ground. Mark had to restrain him from running onto the field to make sure you were alright."

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit sore. A shower will be perfect." She grabbed her toiletries before heading to the shower block.

XOX

_Possibly the best shower ever, _Meredith thought to herself. She had her towel wrapped around her neck, her wet hair dripping onto her light grey tshirt. She wasn't ready to squeeze herself into her cocktail dress just yet. She rubbed her hands through her hair to remove the excess water, before slipping back into her room as she heard her name being called down the hall.

She stuck her head out, looking both ways to see Mark and Derek walking towards her.

"There's the champion! Grey!" Mark called, grinning.

"Mer, there you are!" Derek called, beaming just as much as Mark. If any girl had been walking towards them, she probably would have been burnt by the sheer radiance of their smiles.

"Hey!" She called, dropping her bag of shampoo and assorted body washes into her doorway to collect later. When they reached her, Derek pulled her into a light hug. When he let go, he left one arm around her shoulder, and Mark playfully punched the top of her other arm.

"Glad the past few days didn't result in another trip to the ER, for any of us." Derek smiled. "A few close calls," he nudge Meredith.

"Me? More like you and Mark! You were bleeding pretty badly. How is your eye?"

"Nothing major. I'm more worried about Mark's wrist."

Mark held it up, proud of his injury. "A little swollen, but it'll be right!"

"So optimistic." Meredith laughed, before Derek spoke again.

"Ah! Now, I am here to ask as to what time you wanted to leave tomorrow to head home."

"Oh! I hadn't even thought about that… I really don't mind. Who's driving?"

"Me." Derek laughed, "Mark is hardly able with that wrist."

"I can, you know. I can drive." Meredith offered.

"I might even take you up on that. I think we get lunch here tomorrow, shall we leave at 2ish? Mum just wants to know the ETA so she can be home and cook and all that."

"2ish is good. Gives me plenty of time to sleep, eat and pack."

Derek just laughed at her reply. Although the packing, he knew, would take less than an hour, she did enjoy a good sleep in when she had time off.

"We're heading down to dinner in about half an hour, then we'll get changed and head to the Spring-bash. You and Yang keen to join?"

"Sure. I think she's in there, probably procrastinating squeezing into something tight." Meredith nodded, gesturing to the door. "Knock as you walk past. Oh! And have you seen George?"

Mark nodded, "he was at first aid when I went over. They sent him to the clinic and had his shoulder… re-located? Is that the verb? I think I heard Lexie say downstairs that he's sitting in the lounge with Olivia, Jackson and a few others."

"Jackson?" Meredith asked excitedly.

"Yeah… Secret hot date?" Derek smirked, poking Meredith in the side.

"How did you know? We're sneaking off tonight instead of going to the party for a secret night of passion and endless pleasure." Meredith gushed, flicking her head from side to side, sighing dramatically. She suddenly stopped, and stared straight at him, raising her eyebrows. "No, I just have his hoodie." She returned the poke in the side, he crumbled slightly, smiling.

"Now that's cleared up," Mark interjected, "We'll see you in 30 minutes. Good game today, Grey. You were a knockout. Well, nearly knocked out…" Mark jollied, continuing down the hall.

"I'd better shower and all that." Derek pulled her into a hug, breathing in the sweet scent of her clean hair. "Your hair smells divine." He whispered.

"Freshly washed," she whispered back, "Now you can do the same. You're smelling a step under 'divine'." She slapping him on the back a few times before screwing up her nose.

"Hmmm," he moved in and kissed the end of her nose. "Going now."

She scrunched up her nose again before giggling and turning back to head into her room. "I'll see you later."

XXOXX

The clock struck midnight as Meredith took a shot of tequila from the table in the middle of the room. Cristina joined her, taking a glup from her cup, laughing loudly. They weren't drunk per se, but they were definitely past the point of driving or operating any heavy machinery. As Mark made his rounds around the room, hitting on any female with a short dress. Although Derek tried to warn him off the girls with boyfriends, saying he'd get beaten up again, but Mark was instant. "In soccer," he would start, "there is a goalie, but you can still score." Every time Mark repeated this, Derek would just laugh and shake his head.

As the music was turned up, Meredith grabbed Cristina running to the middle of the dance. Joined by the remainder of their floor, Derek decided that he'd better make the most of the night and join in too with the terrible dance party.

Two hours later as they stumbled back to their rooms, all laughing at the simplest things. While Lexie and Jackson continued up the flight of stairs, when Meredith, Derek and Cristina headed left down the corridor. The three were laughing more than usual, bumping into each other as they tried to walk straight. Cristina was the first to reach the door.  
"I'mmmm going to bed. Don't do anything you'll be sorry for in the morning!" she cackled before slamming the door.

"I'm always sorry in the morning." Meredith retorted, then turning to Derek, "but that is starting to change. You make me un-sorry or whatever." She gave him a throaty laugh. "That's _so_ not a word."

"Hmmm…" he smiled, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "You're amazing." He whispered, which made her giggle even more. They continued to kiss until Meredith lost her balance and fell back onto her door, hitting her head.

"Ow." She commented, her lips still pressed to Derek's.

"You've gotta ssstop doing that," Derek replied, not pulling away.

"Mhmhmmm" Meredith replied, pulling Derek in closer, creeping her hands up his back. Her long fingers snaked up his spine, sending goosebumps all over his body.

"We should probably stop." Derek commented, making no effort to move away or stop.  
"I'm -ick of s-opin-." Meredith replied, deepening her kisses. She wrapped her hands around his neck, and pulled her legs up so they were wrapped around his waist. While her fingers danced in the top of his neck, she held herself up with her thighs, locked in between Derek's arms and his chest. Clearly preoccupied, until something dawned on her, "Oh no." she said, pulling her head away.

"What?" Derek replied, suddenly looking concerned. His face only 20 centimetres from hers.

"We have to see your mother tomorrow." She replied, deflated.

Derek pondered the comment for a moment, waiting for his slowed brain to catch up. "Crap." He replied, closing his eyes. Meredith unhooked her feet and slid down from his arms to standing.

"We can't… keep going… I don't trust myself with you at this hour, with this much alcohol, and… having to see your mother tomorrow."

"You're too smart."

She screwed up her nose. "But it's probably for the best?"

"Better if you were _with_ me, but um… I couldn't see my mother tomorrow, or Mark, if we... She'd know."

"And your sisters would know. They know _everything_." Her eyes widened.

"They do. Everything." Derek shook his head.

She pushed open her door as Derek continued down the hall, still smiling after the day. It was such a great end to the term, and she couldn't wait to be coming back.


	28. Hometime Hangover

**A lovely filler for some lovely people. Thank you to the happy reviewers, and I hope you have a great week!**

Half an hour into the trip, Mark was asleep in the backseat, leaving Meredith and Derek in the front to talk freely. After breakfast, Derek had returned to his room and searched for the darkest pair of sunglasses he owned in preparation for the drive. He felt a little uneasy, but told himself to man up. He'd popped an aspirin in the hope that it would reduce his headache, but it had shown little ailment just yet. Meredith's gaze sat out the window before they passed through the town where they had stopped only a few months earlier to buy a bag of peas for her cheek. As they passed the supermarket, she turned to Derek, smiling,

"Would you like some frozen peas for your head?"

"It did do the trick on your cheek!" Derek nodded. "Did you want to stop?" He asked, slowing down.

"Nah, probably better keep on the road to get home soon. Plus, Mark's asleep. He might flip out if he wakes up in a random town with us no where to be seen… Although, that might be fun!"

Derek just laughed in response, before it fell back to a comfortable silence. Close to half an hour later, Meredith spoke again,

"How's your head?"

"It's fine now," Derek smiled, "and yours?"

"It's fine." She nodded, placing her hand on Derek's thigh. He took one hand off the wheel, and squeezing hers.

"I like these trips a lot better now you're here."

"Oh, me too! Train journeys can be quite boring. Let me know if you need a break."

"Next town? I need petrol."

"I need to pee, so we're all good." She smiled back.

As they pulled into the petrol station, Mark muttered something about tropical fish.  
"I must say, I didn't expect him to dream about tropical fish." Meredith whispered to Derek sideways, the sides of her mouth slightly turned upwards.

"Not what he usually dreams about, trust me." Derek shuddered, "I've heard more girls names this semester than in a baby book."

"That's kinda… disgusting."

"Don't I know it!" Derek laughed in agreement.

Mark stirred again as Derek drove over a speed bump, waking up from his nap. He yawned loudly.

"How far away are we?"

"Still a few hours, mate. You've slept for nearly two."

He sighed as she stretched, leaning back into the corner between the seat and the door, closing his eyes again.

"Mark, you owe me a twenty for petrol." Derek stated jokingly, just as he saw Mark beginning to settle. Mark groaned quietly, shifting in his seat to pull his wallet from his pocket keeping his eyes shut.

"Take as much as you like, just don't make me drive."

Meredith smirked at Mark's response, as Derek looked over to her with an evil glint in his eye. He grinned at her, nodding. She loved how she could tell exactly what he was thinking. She grinned back, nodding slowly. They both quickly exited the car, Derek pumping in the petrol and Meredith in search of a bathroom. She soon returned to his side, leaning back against the car, closing her eyes. A crisp wind whistled through the tunnels between the fuel pumps, the harsh edge made Meredith shiver. Derek summoned her over, pulling her to the inside of his zip up jumper, even attempting to close it one handed while still pumping the car. When he was done, she opened her eyes, smiling back at him. Being in the car with thermostat, she wasn't dressed appropriately to be outside. Together they quickly walked into the service station, his arm around her shoulders.

Derek joined the queue to pay, Meredith wandered the aisles of the store. Lost in her own thoughts, she nearly jumped from her skin when Derek approached her from behind.  
"I'm hungry." He stated. "Whatever lunch was at college made my stomach do summersaults, so I haven't eaten since breakfast."

Meredith's eyes sparkled as she saw a game brewing, "Would you like..." She questioned, wandering down the aisle, scanning the shelves, "Poptarts? Coloured popcorn? Beef jerkey?" He screwed up his nose in response, Meredith faking a shocked face. "Crumpets? Stale bread?"

He shrugged off her decisions.

"A giant bag of M&Ms? A melody pop?" She laughed. "Trail mix? Now that sounds like something you healthy people would like."

He picked up the bag, pretending to contemplate it,

"Ummm... No." He stated firmly. "There's no dried banana. It needs dried banana." She shook her head at his response, as if condemning his decision. She let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes

"You're so hard to please!" She complained mockingly, whilst still walking backwards down the aisle. She turned back to the shelves to find ideas for more silly suggestions to throw at him, but it took a second for her mind to catch up.

"Pregna- oh. That's not food." She laughed awkwardly.

"That is edible..." Derek pointed to another package on the shelf.

"My word! Not in here, Mr Shepherd!" Meredith playfully scolded, gasping and lightly swotting his arm. She acted flustered and overcome until he pulled her into a bear hug from behind. "Would corn chips satisfy your manly hunger?"

"Only one of the hungers..." He made a roaring noise before nodding surely at her. "But I think it's a green light!"

Meredith cheered, a smile spreading across her face.

"What else is Mark going to buy us?" Derek asked excitedly. "Sunglasses? Air freshner? Milkshake?"

"A milkshake! Yeah!" She cheered. "Maybe a doughnut too. They looked good."

"Any games or magazines?" Derek questioned.

"I feel bad for taking advantage of Mark like this."

"Eh. Don't. He's done worse. Maybe not to you, but your gender. Go grab that puzzles book. We can do them in the car together." She giggled, springing towards to rack grabbing a magazine with a lady grinning holding a fan of cash ok the front.

"Maybe we'll be her by the end of the book." Meredith laughed pointing to the lady's winnings.

"I hope not!" Derek snorted, as they reached the front of the line placing all the items on the counter. He ordered a milkshake and an iced coffee, and they moved over to the red covered bar stools to wait. Spinning around in the chair, Meredith filled in the answers to nearly a whole crossword, sharing the clues with Derek.

By the time they'd returned to the car, Mark was awake.

"... I paid for all this didn't I?" Mark laughed.

"Yep! Thanks, Mark!" Meredith beamed holding her drink, a packet of lollies, cornchips and the puzzle book. Derek threw the bag of M&Ms at Mark and a passed him the iced coffee.

"We bought you food too, though." Derek reassured him. Mark shrugged his shoulders, accepting the drink and ripping open the chocolate. They both slid into the car, Derek taking Meredith's drink, taking a big sip. She laughed, accepting it back.

"I've changed you. No more healthy foods. I, now how do I phrase this, ah, I know. I _win_"

"... Just today. Your milkshake smelt to good to resist and I haven't had Clinkers since I was 5."

"They are amazing, and you know it." Meredith grinned.

He pulled out of the petrol station and made his way back to the highway. He vowed to one day take a trip back to the town with Meredith and have a good look around. If they'd had that much fun at a supermarket and petrol station, then he wondered what the rest of the town could offer.

XXXXOXXOXXXX

"DEREK!" Amelia squealed, as he pushed open the front door later that day. He whinced, lowering his head slightly. He was still wearing his sunglasses even though he'd stepped inside.

"Amy!" He replied, slightly quieter. As Mark pushed past Derek, into the hall Amy greeted him with similar volume and excitement. Mark smiled in return, his head still pounding. They hadn't dropped Meredith home yet, as Caroyln had requested. She had no time constraints, in fact, she wasn't even sure that her mother knew she was coming home today. Meredith laughed as Amy began to look bored with their responses until she saw her step through the doorway.

"MEREDITH!" She yelled even louder, running up to give her a tight hug. Meredith could swear that she could feel her blood pressure rising from the tight grip Amy had.

Derek whinced again, this time Amy noticing and looking at Meredith for an explanation. "He has a hangover."

Amy's eyes widened deviously, walking over to the front door, slamming it shut before yelling to her mother in the kitchen, with her head right next to Derek's.

"MUM! DEREK, MARK AND MEREDITH ARE HERE!"

Carolyn emerged from the kitchen, still wearing her apron. "Darling… s! Meredith, Derek and Mark! Welcome home."

"Derek has a hangover." Amy dobbed in him, making Carolyn laugh.

"Does he?" Carolyn almost yelled. "That's not good." She pulled in his head, and kissing his ear, loudly. "It's nice to have you home."  
Amy laughed at her mother's cruel streak.

"Thanks Mum." Derek grimaced, his head still throbbing. Meredith giggled from behind him.

"It's nice to see you again, Meredith. I hope you don't have a hangover too."

"Not even a small one. Just a mild concussion," Meredith grinned.

Derek looked over at her, his mouth wide open. "Lies. You can't be serious!"  
"Gone by lunchtime." She whispered to him. He looked pained by her freedom.

"Come out from the doorway, dinner is almost ready. Head upstairs and unpack, and Meredith, we can drop you home after dinner." Carolyn smiled. "Or you can stay, you're welcome either way."

Meredith smiled, "thank you."

Derek picked up his bag from at his feet and they trudged up the stairs. Derek pushed open his door and flopped onto his bed.

"My head. Please tell me it doesn't get worse than this."

She just laughed at his response. "You're a bit of a wimp, but at least you'll know for next time."

"Mmmm." He pulled her down onto the bed, "I need a long nap."

"Dinner will be ready soon, I suppose we could sleep until then." Meredith suggested, closing her eyes.

Derek pulled her in tighter and let out a mumbled sign and groan in response. All too soon, they'd dozed off again in the same position as Thanksgiving night, but this time, she wasn't rudely awoken by nausea. His hands were warm and protective on her tender stomach muscles from the rough games and exercise the days before, and when she awoke, she savoured every blissful moment until she opened her eyes to see a bright blue pair staring down on them.

"Derek." She whispered, poking him in the stomach, causing him to groan and grab her hand to prevent her from doing it again.

"No poke." He insisted, his eyes still shut.

"Derek. Amy is staring at us." Meredith whispered, not moving from their position sideways on the bed.

"Go away, Amy." Derek told her, without moving or batting an eyelid.

"Mum has been calling you for 10 minutes and because you didn't reply, she sent me up here to come and get you." Amy state, matter-of-factly.

"I don't want food." Derek groaned, burying his face in Meredith's hair. "Leave me here to sleep."

"We should get up before she comes up here to find us." Meredith stated, rubbing his hands that were clasped around her stomach.

Derek just groaned before letting go and slowly sitting. As Meredith lead them out the room, pulling Derek by his hand, he turned and whispered to Amy.

"I hope you know that I don't approve of your evil ways."

She giggled and stuck out her tongue, enjoying how she could irk Derek even more when he was feeling shocking.


	29. Ted and Roseridge

**Thanks for the reviews, and have a lovely week! Don't worry, within the dark times, there is light... Bare with me. :)**

_"Mmm… Mum's still not home." _ Meredith spoke into the phone while drying the dishes from the sink. "_I haven't seen her once since you dropped me home three days ago... Yeah… Yeah... No… Well… I was about to walk to the supermarket. No, you don't have to… Sure…. 3pm? I'll come over. Alright. Yeah. Yep. Okay. I've gotta go, but I'll see you then. Thanks, bye Derek." _Meredith hit the end call button on her phone, hearing a rustling from outside. She stuck her head out from the kitchen and looked through the glass front door to see her mother standing, rustling through a bag.

"Mum?" Meredith asked, opening the door, wiping her hands on her shorts.

"I've lost my keys." Ellis complained, pushing into the house.

"Aren't you hot in your coat? It's 90 degrees outside, Mum."

"What? No it's not. I'm fine. What are you doing home? You should be at school. I'm not paying your school fees for you to be skipping and not taking this seriously. You never take anything seriously. That's the problem with you Meredith! You take everything for granted!" Ellis was virtually yelling at her now.

"But, it's holidays. I'm on Spring break from college. I graduated school a few years ago, Mum. Don't you remember?" Meredith was standing really close to her mother now, looking into her eyes.

"Of course I do." She snapped back. "I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed. Don't be noisy."  
Meredith stood in the foyer in shock and watched her mother grumpily trudge up the stairs towards the bathroom. As soon as she was out of sight, Meredith darted towards her mother's handbag, she had slammed down in her fit of furry. She dug around for her phone, pulling it out and running into the kitchen. She scrolled through her contacts to find the number of the new Chief of Surgery. She copied it over into her phone before quickly returning her mother's phone to her bag before she knew anything had happened. She vowed to herself that she'd get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. Meredith headed back into the kitchen, sliding her phone into her pocket. She grabbed her keys from the dish and rushed out the front door. She wasn't quite sure where would give her the most privacy to make a phone call, but she headed up to the local park. She breathed deeply to calm herself, as she paced through the trees, following the path until she summound the courage to call.

XOX

XOX

At five minutes to three, Meredith swiftly walked towards the elevators at her mother's hospital avoiding the eyes of everyone. She slid into the elevator, behind two gossiping nurses and three surgeons discussing their next procedure. She kept her eyes down to avoid any of their glances. By the time the elevator reached the 4th floor she was alone once more. She couldn't contain her nervous energy, she fiddled with the zip of her jacket as she dodged her way fown the corridor. She read the names on the office doors as she passed them until she came to the final door on the left. _ Dr Ted Barrheith: Chief of Surgery._

She knocked lightly, waiting for a response. She heard a voice welcome her in from inside, so she turned the door handle and opened the door slowly. She peered through the crack in the door to see Ted sitting back in his black leather office chair behind his desk, speaking into the phone. He smiled warmly when he saw Meredith and beckoned her to come into the room and sit down while he finished the phone call. "Perfect, I'll have Alison give you a call tomorrow with the figures… Yes… Thank you very much. Have a nice afternoon."

He placed the phone back in the holder and stood up.

"Meredith." He greeted her with a warm smile. "You're all grown up!"

"Well, I didn't have much choice…" She responded, smirking slightly. She starred at the man standing in front of her. He looked exactly the same as ten years before, but older. He wore the same smile, and the wedding ring still sat snug on his finger.

"Please, take a seat. Would you like a drink?" He asked, turning back to the jugs of water behind his desk. She nodded, and but her attention wandered out of the large windows flanking the side of his office. The view was worth a million dollars; she could see the entire city skyline. She was brought back into the room as Ted placed the glass on the table and slid it in front of her.

"I just can't believe it's been so long, and I'm really sorry that this is the reason we have to meet again."

"It's not optimal for anyone, I suppose." She nodded, taking a sip from the glass in front of her.

There was a knock at his office door and the door swung open to showcase a tall mahogany haired woman with slim glasses, chewing on a pen as she stared at the charts in front of her.

"Chief… Looking back over the files," she started, slowly walking in, still sceptically starring at the chart. She looked up and noticed Meredith sitting awkwardly in front of his desk and stopped, "Oh. Sorry. I'll, um, come back later."

"And lock the door behind you, please. This is a very important and highly confidential meeting and I can't be interrupted." He spoke with a very stern voice, and Meredith watched as the woman quickly nodded and left the room.

"Sorry about that, but now we won't be interrupted again." He began to flick through files from his desk drawer. Look, Meredith, I have noticed a change in the past few months and I've had a few attendings say things to me too. She yells at the interns just as much, and the junior doctors are too scared of her to say anything – so I'd say they haven't noticed. I've cut her OR time, and any she does do, I have been there. I've given her a grant for research. I have tried to steer her away from operating, and I had her assessed last week…"

"Assessed?" Meredith gulped. She felt her skin goosebump and she looked back out over the city.

"Yes. I'm really sorry, Meredith. I would have contacted you earlier, but, I was working up to it so Ellis wouldn't know. When you rang, I was relieved, but I couldn't tell you over the phone."

"So, what's the diagnosis?"

"Before I tell you, please know that this is not on you. I promise to help out and it won't be so hard."  
"Ted?"

"It's Alzheimer's."  
Meredith' heart stopped. She was in shock, but truthfully, she wasn't sure what she should have expected. Time must have passed because the next thing she heard was Ted's voice "Meredith, are you alright?"

"Yes." She whispered back.

"I'm so sorry."

"No…"

"Meredith, it's not going to bed better. I was hoping that we could discuss the future..."  
"… Alzheimer's?" She whispered back, her mind was spinning. She couldn't quite comprehend the enormity of this word. They had done a unit on neurodegenerative diseases and disorders last semester, but all she could remember at this point was that it was incurable and it gets worse over time.

"Early onset. Meredith, I'm so sorry. Please remember that you won't be doing this alone."

"But I am alone. I have noone. My mother was the only sorry excuse for a family I had!" She cried out. People continued to pass by the office, only one glancing in as she spoke.

"Please Meredith, I am here to help. I've been looking into our options, and I do mean _our._ There's a home which I think would be a good idea, perhaps a little further along the line, but right now, I'm not sure what we can do. A few weeks back, she missed a shift at work, and since then she's been living her pretty much 24/7, so she doesn't do it again. There are always people around, and she is investing her time into research, so there is no need to worry."

"I can't leave. I can't go back to college."

"You can, and you will. Deep down, your mother knows there is something wrong, and if you threw your education away for that she would never forgive herself, or you, or me. You're going back, but you have to trust me that I am doing the right thing."

"I will come home every weekend." Meredith stated. "I'll skip my lectures on a Friday afternoon and catch the train home and come to visit, stay the weekend, and catch it back late Sunday night."

"No. You can't. Come back, say, once a month. I'll ring you weekly to give you can update. Maybe a residential option would be the best. Perhaps we could put in an application form for Roseridge."

"Okay."

"I sent over for the paperwork this morning and it has just come through by fax. I've looked over it, and I think this is our best option." He slid over a pamphlet and application form. Meredith scanned the front cover. _Nothing unusual,_ she thought to herself. _An elderly couple enjoying tea with a young, pretty aged care worker on a balcony. Roseridge? That would explain the roses surrounding them…_

"I know this is a lot to take in, Meredith. Please don't feel like I'm pushing you into this."

"I know." She said. In the back of her mind, this had been ticking over for months. The symptoms had been present, she just hadn't connected two and two.

"It can't be easy for you." He said again, trying to gain her eyecontact. He ducked his neck down to try and catch her glance, but she wasn't willing to participate.

"In all honestly, sir, nothing to do with my mother has ever been _easy_."

He let out a quiet grimace, "I don't doubt that." She continued to read the documents placed infront of her, and he waiting quietly until she was finished. "I know that her finances are will be fine, she will have enough money to pay for this level of care."

"What do I need to do?" She asked quietly. He sighed and leant back on his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.  
"Since her evaluation last week, she's been deemed no longer able to operate, so her position here has been changed to merely a research fellowship, but, I haven't told her this yet. I may not have told you the whole truth on the phone either. But, since you are over 18, and her 'mental capacity' has been deemed unsatisfactory to make legal decisions, you are now her power of attorney…"

"Sorry?" Meredith breathed, looking through the hair that had fallen over her face while she was reading.

"The situation is declining at such a rate that… I really think it would be safer to apply for this now." He tapped on the forms in front of her. "I just need your signature, and it will all be taken care of."

"…But how? I can't tell her. I… I just can't…" Meredith was beginning to get flustered, her eyes were becoming colouded tears of confusion and anger, "She will hate me and regret me even more than she already does… and she will hurt me again."

"I'm so sorry, Meredith." Ted stood from his seat and sat on the chair next to her, "I know none of this will be easy, and I bet this wasn't what you were expecting when you came home…But it will be for the best. When you aren't around, I'll visit her daily, take her new medical materials to read, discuss the hospital with her. I'll make her feel like we've just given her a new office space. A new residence."

Meredith looked over at Ted, he was really trying to make her feel better about this whole situation. A man she hadn't seen in over ten years was going out of his way to make her life easier.

"I have to be the one to tell her, I'll help her move in and do everything else that needs to be done. I'll come and visit too." Meredith stated.

"So, let's fill in these forms today and we can go from here. I can't say this enough, but I'm sorry that you have to deal with all of this."

XOX

It was 8:30 pm when Derek tried to ring Meredith for the fifth time. Every time before it had rung out. Meredith hadn't turned up at his house at 3, and when he went around to her house to check she was okay, no one was home. He hit the 'End Call' button and placed his phone on the couch text to him. Derek let out a worried sigh and turned his attention back to the television. His mother noticed his distress, and requested his help in the kitchen. He begrudgingly stood and followed her.

"She'll be fine, Derek. She's probably just with her mother. You have to stop worrying about her. To a girl like Meredith, it'll look possessive, and she'll just head for the hills."

"I know… But there is something wrong, I know it. I think it's to do with her mother…" he sighed, heading towards the fridge.

"As hard as it is, you've got to give her space. She'll come when she needs you."

"The waiting is the hardest part."

Meanwhile, Meredith was sitting on the couch at home, clutching the Roseridge pamphlet in her clammy hands. Her phone sat next to her on the couch, every half an hour ringing periodically. Derek's name flashed up on the screen, but she couldn't bring herself to answer it. She couldn't tell him why she had to avoid their date, why she had to crush her mother's life, and why she would be disappearing every few weeks from college. She had to avoid it for as long as possible. _It may not be the best idea_, she thought, _but for now it is definitely the easiest._ Her mother was still asleep upstairs, leaving Meredith to mull over the decision she had to make for her mother's future. She had to be strong. Strength, if anything was something she had learnt from her mother, and strength comes from independence. She didn't think that telling Derek everything was going to help. She could handle it herself.

She sat in silence for another hour until she was ripped from her mind battling by her phone ringing again. _Derek_. Meredith decided for a final time that it was enough. She answered the call,

"Hi."

_Meredith! I thought you were lying in a ditch somewhere…_

"No, I'm fine, but there's some stuff I have to do this week, so I won't be around."

_What about dinner Friday night?_

"I… I'm not sure yet."

_Okay, well, the option is always open. You're equally welcome here anytime if you don't feel like feeding yourself._

"Thanks. Look, um, I can't talk now. I have to go. Bye.

_Oh… Bye Mer._

Her mother had pushed her to the edge so many times, that she was beginning to voluntarily do it herself. She pushed people away, especially when she needed them most.

XOX

At 11pm that night, Meredith finally decided that it would be better to try and sleep, than stress about the days ahead, but by 3am, she was sick of lying down, so she decided to have a shower. The warm water cascaded down her back, but nothing could wash away the impending decision she had to make and the guilt that came with. The hot water surrounded her and she almost drifted off into a much happier place, until she was joulted by a bottle of shampoo falling from the ledge. She conceded and headed back to her bedroom. She saw her phone lying on her bedside and considered ringing Derek. Even at 3am, she was sure that he would be at her doorstep in seconds, but it was hardly fair to ask for his help if she wasn't going to explain why she needed it. She got dressed again and wandered back to the bathroom to return her towel. As she stepped back into the hall she noticed a dim light glowing downstairs.

Since she'd gone to bed, her mother had woken up and was sitting at the dining room table surrounded by paper. She had a cup of black coffee gone stone cold in front of her. The floor boards creaked under her feet, causing her mother to look up above her reading glasses.

"Meredith! What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep." She conceded, sliding into the seat across from her mother.

"You look guilty. What have you done?" Her Mum pointed her pen at her, crossing her arms over her papers, "I'm not ringing up your principal again to defend you. One more strike and you're off to boarding school. Do you understand me?"

Meredith just shook her head, "I haven't done anything, Mum, and I'm don't have a principal anymore. I'm at college now. Pre-med, remember?"

"...I don't have time for this." Ellis snapped back, trying to defend herself and cover over her mistake.

"Please Mum. Teach me about what you're doing. I really want to know."

"You won't understand. You're too young."

"I'm an adult! I'm equal top of my class! My grades are perfect, I'm ahead in everything and I'm set to graduate a semester early. My mind is a sponge. I'm not five anymore, I'm going to become a surgeon." Meredith insisted, pushing her point.

"You live away from home, don't you..." Ellis replied, quietly. She frowned as she tried to think really hard.

"I live on campus. I have a roommate, her name is Cristina. We study very hard together, a lot. We're picked to be Valedictorian. She wants to be a cardiothoracic surgeon. She watches surgery tapes in her spare time for fun."

"Hm. She sounds diligent." Ellis nodded approvingly, her lips tight, "and your other colleagues..."

"My friends?" Meredith asked, "Well, apart from Cristina, there's Callie and Arizona. Callie likes bones. She's thinking orthopaedics, and Arizona is surely going to go into Paediatrics. Then there's Jackson. His Grandfather is Harper Avery."

Ellis smiled. Meredith was quickly gaining brownie points. "Then there's George. He's smart and has this way with people, he'll be perfect for patient care, and Mark, he wants to go into plastics."

Ellis rolled her eyes, "Fancy boy."

"Oh, um, then there's Derek." Her heart skipped a beat, "Derek, um, he wants to be a neurosurgeon."

"He must be a determined boy. Confident and slightly arrogant; Very strong willed." Ellis nodded, analysing the boy by his career aspirations.

"He is." Meredith swallowed hard as her mother studied her face.

"Hm. This Derek. Are you seeing each other?" She asked directly.

"Yes." She replied, glancing down at her sweaty palms.

"Don't let him or any boy stand in the way of your career."

"I won't, I promise."

"Good."

"So, please, teach me about what you're doing."

"Fine," she relinquished. "I have this theory, and it's taking me a long time to research…" As Ellis continued to explain her medical breakthrough, Meredith sat listening intently. Her mother's avid descriptions and broad knowledge drew Meredith in, as she painted a picture of discovery and inovation. "… Well, that's it. If only I could get some damned funding."

When Ellis' explanation was complete, Meredith was further overcome with guilt.

"You've got early onset Alzheimer's." She blurted out.

"My memory is fine, you don't know what you're talking about." Ellis relied, without even looking up from her papers.

"You were evaluated last week and your mental state is declining rapidly."

"Go to bed, Meredith."

"No!" Meredith was starting to get angry. She could never control her emotions around her mother, and now that she felt she was ruining her mother's life as well as her own, she was getting emotional. "I can't look after you, and even if I could, you wouldn't let me. We need to be honest and take care of this now. If I leave again and you have a bad day and get hurt or hurt someone else- I would never forgive myself. You have to trust me that I am doing the right thing. Ted and I… We found this place. It's right by the hospital. He said he would visit every day and there's a huge library, Mum. Perfect for your medical research. I don't need you to say yes now, but I need you to accept that this is your future. You need to trust that I am old enough to do the right thing by both you and me. If you're worried about your name, I won't tell anyone. It can be our secret. We will say that you're going broad to research or travelling… Or moving to another clinic. We will think of something. I'm going back to bed now, but I will leave the brochure on the table. Please look at it. Goodnight." Meredith stated in no more than two breaths before charging up the stairs towards her room before her mother could see the tears forming in her eyes. She swiped her phone from her desk and punched out a text to Derek.

_One day I will explain about today, but I can't right now. I'll ring you tomorrow afternoon. Sorry. X_

She hoped this would give him the relief he needed, without having to explain anything. She could barely understand it herself, let alone explain it to someone else. Instead of Derek's number, she dialled Cristina.

"_Hello_?" Her friend sleepily answered.

"Hey, it's me."

_"What are you doing awake like 3am?"_

"… It's a long story. In total, I can't wait to be back at college."

_"That bad?"_

"Mmm." She agreed.  
"_Do I need to come and kick Derek's ass?_" Cristina asked.

"No, it's nothing to do with him…" She smirked, lying down further in her bed, laying her phone on the side of her face, "Just, everything else."

"_Surgeon Mummy?"_

"Mmm." She agreed. Cristina didn't know the half of it. Her mother was the root of her problems, yet in a totally different way than Cristina expected.

"_Just tell her about me and how studious we are together. That often makes parents happ_y. "

Meredith let out a small laugh, "I did today, and you are right. It got me a few points." As they both exhaled sleepily, they lay in silence for a while, comfort coming from the fact that a phoneline kept them close. "It's only another week and a bit." Meredith reminded her friend, more for her own sake.

"_And I'm counting down the days_." Cristina replied. "_Tequila party, first day back?"_  
"I think I'll need it." The silence stretched on, and Meredith let out a yawn, "Thanks for listening."  
_"Anytime…"_

Bye, Cristina."

"_Bye Mer, sleep well._"

As she hung up her phone, she realised how much she missed her friend. She had the ability to understand without asking any questions. She couldn't wait to be back in her presence.


	30. Issues

**A quick update so I can get back on my Tuesday weekly. I hope you all have a terrific week, and thank you again for the reviews. They always make my day. :)**

Four days later, Derek walked into the kitchen, picking up an apple from the fruit bowl. Juggling it between his hands as he left the kitchen, he caught it for a final time and crunched into it noisily as he flicked through the local newspaper. He heard his phone ringing in the distance, so he shut the newspaper and strode through to the living room to find it. It continued to vibrate, dancing around the coffee table until he caught it and answered it._ Blocked Number. _

"Hello?" He answered, forgetting he still had a mouth full of apple.

"Derek?" The voice questioned.

"Yeah." He coughed, "Sorry, forgot I had a mouth full. Meredith?"

"Mmm." She replied.

"How are you?" He enquired, genuinely.

In her final week of her spring break, while the rest of her cohort were hanging out in tropical locations or kicking back with their friends and family, Meredith had packed up her mother's belongings and moved her into an Alzhiemer's residence. Everything that is, but her mother's wingback arm chair. Her strong nature and body meant she could carry a lot of things, like pain or a box full of textbooks, but this one thing that wouldn't budge no matter how hard she tried was this dark green leather chair. She pushed and pulled, but three hours later, she conceded. _Ring Derek. _She thought to herself. _Tell him to bring Mark and they will do it for you and it will be easy. They won't ask about why… Surely not… Okay. Stupid thought, of course they will be curious, but Derek will be too polite to ask._

"I need a favour." She jumped right in. _Skip the chit-chat. Too much to explain over the phone right now._

_"Anything."_ Derek replied, lightly. When he walked, he had a spring in his step. The same was evident in his voice when he spoke.

"Can you come over and bring Mark?"

_"Right now?"_

"If that's okay…" She began to hesitate. She tried to remain strong as the less she rambelled, the less information she would leak accidentally.

_"We'll be there in 10."_

She hung up the phone and threw it onto the brainstormed ideas of what to say to answer their coming questions without giving away as to why. Her thought were interrupted by a knock at the door, revealing Mark and Derek standing outside her door. They both smiled, looking refreshed and happy.

"What's up, Mer?" Derek asked with a smile, stepping through the door, kissing her cheek. She nodded to Mark and he nodded back in return.

"I need help moving that green chair into my car."

Mark frowned back at her slightly confused, and Derek gave her an inquisitive look, hoping for further explanation.

"I can't lift it. I'm too small." She replied, dipping her head slightly, hoping they'd fall for her 'innocent' face. She was providing them with an explanation, it just wasn't the explanation they were after. She was scheming on them and hopefully they would play along. "It will fit, I just can't lift it, so I thought I'd put your gym training sessions to use. If you don't think you can…" She started. _That's right. Question their manhood. That'll make them work faster. _She thought, congratulating herself.

"Oh, we can do it, alright!" Mark started, striding towards the chair. Derek had a similar look of determination on his face, heading to the opposite side.

"On three. One. Two. Three!" Mark called, both bending over and hoisting the chair from the floor. They walked through the hall, out the front door and down the steep drive, carefully threading the chair into the backseats.

Both boys were grinning from ear to ear and preening like the alpha male of a lion pride as Meredith closed the car door.

"Thank you very much. I couldn't have done that alone."

"Anytime." Derek grinned, tucking his arm across her shoulders.

"I'd love to repay you both, dinner tonight?" She asked, hoping that organising the next meetup would ensure this one was over. She had 30 minutes to get to the nursing home before the doors are locked for lunch.

"Shall we pick you up at 8?" Derek asked.

"Eight is perfect. I'll see you then. Thanks again!" She called out as she dashed back up her drive and darted through the front door, closing it behind her.

As the boys watched her make her quick escape, Mark furrowed his brow.

"That was strange." He commented, turning back towards the footpath to walk home.

"Mmm. Was a little bit. Oh well, we'll see her for dinner anyway. She was probably just… busy."

"She can be pretty weird sometimes. She's hiding something."

Derek just rolled his eyes, "I can guarantee she is less 'weird' than all of your 'girls' combined."

XOX

Another difficult day dawned, and the worst part was the Meredith was meant to be leaving for college that afternoon. Her dinner with Derek and Mark the night before was awkward to say the least, as she put on a happy exterior, trying to avoid any questions about her past two weeks. She may have slightly over-compensated, gaining her some strange looks as she overly laughed at Derek's bad jokes and Mark's comments. When they dropped her home, Derek lingered on the doorstep, trying to ensure she was okay. He left her with a peck on the cheek and his hug extended for longer than he usually would have. Mark smiled slightly patronisingly, which made Meredith feel about 2 years old. He didn't mean to offend her but she was obviously not okay with what ever had happened in the past two weeks that she couldn't tell them.

Her mum's transition to Roseridge had been less than smooth. Meredith had spent hours sitting with her mother in the tearoom, listening to her recollection of 'current' events, thinking Meredith was one of her peers or a co-worker. She had to calm her mother when the staff urged her to eat lunch, or dinner, or when they interrupted her from her 'research'. She had to convince her mother to stay on the property when Meredith had to leave at night. To top it off, Meredith had to endure her mother describing her sex-life in incredible detail. There is nothing a child wants to hear about less than her mother's sex life.

On the fourth day, Ellis didn't remember Meredith at all. She called her an intruder and threw her bound Annals of Surgery 1987 book at her. She assured the nurses that she was alright after a straight blow to the head, and quickly made her excuses and left. As she ran through the rain back to her car, her tears mixed with the cold droplets falling from the sky. She hunched over the steering wheel, letting her tears fall to a puddle in her lap.

Some things in life just aren't fair.

She planned to head back with Derek and Mark that afternoon after lunch, so she really had to hurry to pack, tidy the house and visit her mother before being back at home, pretending like she had had a relaxing holiday.

She made it to Roseridge by 9am, with her mother nowhere to be found. She spoke to the nurses, who sent her back through the large library, finding her mother starring out the window from a red velvet chair.

"Mum, how are you?" Meredith enquired, taking the seat opposite her.

"Meredith? What are you doing here?"

"I've come to visit you. I'm headed back to college tonight, so I won't see you for a few weeks…"

"College." Ellis answered, "Look Meredith, I know I said that you did before, but, you don't have to go to medical school. All I want is for you to get me out of here."

"Mum…" Meredith replied, starting to get worried, "I did decide to go in the end. I was angry when I said that. I am doing Pre-Med."

"I need to get out of here, Meredith." Ellis replied, starting to look panicked. "I'm not meant to be here, I'm meant to be at the hospital. I've got surgeries to do, research to conduct, interns to teach!"

"Mum, you live here now." Meredith tried to reassure her. She had read an article once that said you should always tell the person the truth to try and jog any memories that had, "The hospital will be fine without you. You can do your research here… There's the big library just up those stairs… I brought you all your journals and books."

"Hm. Well, I am behind on my work." Ellis huffed, "Did you need anything else?" She asked gruffly.

"No." Meredith replied meekly.

"I had better go." Ellis said, standing and walking to the stairs. "Tell your father I might not make it home tonight." She walked away, leaving Meredith alone in the grand room. It wasn't the goodbye she was hoping for, but then again, nothing went the way she thought it would.

On her way out, she caught the head nurse, Sandra.

"Meredith, it's lovely to see you again. Your visits really are helping to settle her in well." She reassured her.

"She barely knew who I was today, it was like I was a distant memory."

"It can seem like that sometimes…"

"I, uh, I have to head back to college tonight, so I won't be around much for the next few weeks, but I am going to make an effort to make it back at least once a month maybe more. It's a 5 or so hour trip by car…"

"That is a long way. Look, I know how hard this will be, but you're more than welcome to ring up at any point. Likewise, we will ring you if we have any problems. Do you have any other family or friends here that would be able to visit?"

"… No. No one apart from Ted." Meredith shook her head, looking down at the floor.

"I met Ted yesterday, he's a very warm fellow, isn't he? Well, I will keep you in the loop, Meredith. You've done a really good job."

"Thanks, and good luck until I make it back next…"

"Bye Meredith. Good luck at College."

She made it home, stopping off at the neighbours to ask them to keep a look out over the empty house for the next few months while she, and supposedly her mother, were away. She dashed back home and quickly finished her packing and locked up the house for good, only moments before Derek arrived on her doorstep. She tossed her bags into the boot of his car and quickly slid herself into the backseat without looking back.

"Let's get out of here." Meredith stated quickly as she buckled herself in and slammed the door behind her.

"We're off!" Derek replied, reversing down her driveway and pointing the car in the direction of the highway. She couldn't help but notice his glances back in the rear vision mirror every now and then to make sure she was alright. Hidden behind her sunglasses, she let the world fade away and became lost in her thoughts. She was praying to a higher power for a smooth ride until she planned to returned home again.

XOX

Cristina was sitting on her bed when Meredith pushed open the door to their room. Meredith was almost relieved to see Cristina already unpacked. It was a sign that everything was returning to normal. Dropping her bags, she moved in and sat next to her friend on the bed, her head drooping onto her shoulder. They both sat in silence, continuing to read the magazine Cristina was holding, enjoying the comfort.

"You know this constitutes hugging, right?" Cristina asked, not moving her eyes from the magazine.

"Shut up." Meredith replied, slouching down further into the bed. She was exhausted, stressed and worried about her mother, but being in the comfort of her friend was enough for a moment of calm and relief.

"Severe mommy issues."

"Psych is crap." Meredith replied.

XOX

Derek, Mark and Owed stood in the middle of the oval in a triangle tossing the baseball between them, barehanded.

"I'm ready for holidays." Derek sighed, throwing the ball to Mark. "This warm weather just makes me want to head out to the lake and enjoy the sun."

The three of them smiled and nooded, escaping into their own world, where there were no deadlines, stresses or textbooks to weigh you down. As the passed the ball between them, a light breeze passed blew the trees surrounding the large, green oval. With exams approaching, Mark and Derek found themselves getting more and more frustrated with being inside all the time, and on their way out for a run, they passed Owen who was obviously procrastinating too. They headed out to the pitch to have a swing or two, but ended up just throwing the ball in the outfield after they snapped the wooden bat.

"What does it mean when someone descries someone as their 'person'?" Owen asked, breaking the silence.

Mark screwed up his nose, shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. Derek pondered for a moment before realsing.

"You've been talking to Yang, yeah?"

"Yeah…" Owen agreed, not sure where he was coming from.

"You and Yang!" Mark cheered, catching the ball. "I thought she only studied…"

"We've been out a few times, but she called Meredith 'her person' the other day…"

"You've just gotta go with it." Derek shrugged. "Those two just _get_ each other, I often just miss the whole point of their conversations…"

"The Twisted Sisters." Owen laughed.

"The Twisted Sisters." Derek agreed, smiling.

XOX

"So, you're seeing him?" Meredith asked, chewing on the end of her pen, surrounded by books on the desk in front of her.

"Kinda, I suppose." Cristina agreed, "We went out, nothing major." Both girls continued to stare at their work, backs to each other, not even looking as they spoke.

"And it's good?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah." She agreed, shrugging. "I wouldn't bother if he wasn't.."

"GI Joe…" Meredith shook her head, still not quite believing what her friend was saying. "Well, let me know if you need me to kick his ass."

A quiet laugh was heard from Cristina and they both returned to their work. "You couldn't even if you wanted to…"


	31. Heading Home

**Have a great week!**

Some days just suck. You think you're up there, battling the greats and winning, until one swift blow to the gut and you're gone. Down. Falling. Then you hit rock bottom. Meredith was unsure whether it was her body crash landing or the phone ringing that had awoken her. She quickly snatched her phone from her nightstand and crept out of her room, being sure not to disturb her sleeping roommate. She padded down the hall to the kitchen, looking in all directions. She wanted to avoid everyone whilst the kind voice on the other side of the phone line beckoned her to return to her mother's residence.

"Hi Meredith. I'm sorry to call so early, but there has been… an incident…" Sandra started, trying to ease into the conversation. She described fits of rage and violence in little detail to downplay their impact, but still trying to alert her to the severity of the situation. Meredith closed her eyes and slid down the wall next to her. She sat quietly with her head on her knees listening to the nurse recount the events. "She was putting herself in danger, and we couldn't get a hold of you to ask for your wishes, but, we had to sedate her lightly. She's still asleep at the moment."

Meredith exhaled. It was the third time in two months. She had already left college twice, giving pithy excuses. Once more, the mountains of work she had to do were beginning to look like they would never be completed.

"I'm really sorry. I'm doing the best I can." Meredith replied, her voice croaky from exhaustion, her eyes filling with tears.

"No dear, you don't need to be sorry. I understand how hard this is for you,"

"What do you need me to do?" Meredith asked.

"I know you live a long way away, but a visit may be the best option. It might calm her nerves and help to settle her back in."

"A visit?" Meredith exhaled. "I… Um…" Her plans for studying for her mid term exams and finishing the mountains of work she had lined up were now miles in the distance.

"In the past, visits from the family have been the best therapy. Last time you were around, her face really did light up…"

"If my mother were lucid, she would understand." Meredith replied, trying to press her case.

"Your mother has been asking for you, you know. She knows who you are."

She was going to have to go.

"I…" Meredith looked at her watch, 6:00 am, "I'll come, I just… There's a few things I need to sort out. There's a 3 pm express train, I should arrive by supper."

"That's very good of you, Meredith. Please don't hesitate to call if there are any problems. I'll look forward to seeing you tonight."

"I'm really sorry." Meredith replied before hanging up the phone. She rested her head on her knees, and let the few tears in her eyes fall before wiping her eyes and striding down the hallway back to bed.

When she awoke 2 hours later, her mood had turned from bad to worse. She was stressed, and being stressed often made her fly off the handle at minute events. Noticing Cristina had already left, Meredith took the opportunity to pack an overnight back, tossing it back into the wardrobe when she was done. She threw her lecture notes into her shoulder bag, along with two textbooks and strode down to the kitchen with her thermos to grab her coffee before heading to the library. She had a tutorial at 12 and three assignments due within the next week. _At least the train time will give you a chance to get some done._ She tried to reassure herself, in an attempt to break her foul mood.

When she reached the kitchen, she was met with a large 'Out of Order' sign on the coffee machine. She groaned and aggressively pushed her travel mug deep into her bag before taking a banana from the fruit bowl. She strode off under a dark cloud to the library. As she stepped through the exit, she was met by a cheery smile.

"Hey Mer!" Derek grinned, "Off to the library?"

"Yes." She snapped back.

"What's wrong?" He asked genuinely and inquisitively, trying to obtain answers without being caught in the crossfire.

"Crappy things happen to crappy people. I'm trying not to be a crappy person, but the things just keep happening. I work hard. I try to be a good citizen. I am exhausted. To top it off, I have a bazillion assignments to finish, and stupid exams and I have a headache, and there's NO DAMN COFFEE LEFT." She complained angrily, continuing to walk down the corridor.

Derek kept up at a jog, looking at her knowingly, "I saw that sign this morning… I think quite a few people will be caffeine deprived. What are your plans for this morning?"  
"Going to the library. You just said it yourself!"

"Oh, yeah! Sorry," Derek replied cheerfully. "Tonight, Music in the Quad is on, remember? Mark and I were thinking about skipping res-dinner and ordering in. We need a night off from that kitchen food monstrosity! You in? I've never known you to turn down free food. Plus, it can be our 'study break' for the day."

"I can't. I can't because I have these stupid commitments. I can't manage it all, but hey, the world doesn't care. "Let's just push Meredith back!" The world says, "Let's not let her succeed by taking away her time at college, and pushing her to the edge." I'm drowning, Derek. I'm drowning in a freakin' ocean of commitments and expectations that I can't meet. I won't be around tonight, and probably not tomorrow either." She vented.

Her stress and anger had caught him off guard. He didn't know what was wrong and didn't think that asking her would be of help at all. In fact, she'd probably stab him with a ballpoint pen or something.

He stopped walking and stood in the middle of the corridor. "Do you want a hug?" He asked, cocking his head to the side, smiling sweetly at her. She stopped and stared at him as if he had just asked the most inappropriate and baffling question in the world. She fussed for a few more seconds before breathing out finally.

"Yes."

"Okay." He replied, pulling her in to his tight embrace. When her body loosened, he let go, "Now, go kick ass in the library."

"Arrrghghhhhh. There's too much to do and I am in way over my head." She moaned, continuing to walk off down the corridor. "See you at 12." She mumbled.

Flopping into a chair at the back window, she noted the people around her. _Asleep. Been here all night. Freshman. Freshman. Old man. Asleep. Hungover. Studious. April Kepner. Freshman. The usual library crew_. She pulled out her textbook and thrust it open to chapter 27, before hurriedly making notes for her assignment. She was concentrating so intently that she didn't even noticed when someone walked up right next to her and left a gift. This new shadow in front of her caught her attention. A shadow that wasn't there when she sat down. Snapping out of her 'work-mode' she saw a tall, black paper coffee cup with a blue post-it note stuck to the front.

_I hope your day gets better. _

She reached out for the cup, taking a swill of its steaming contents. She looked around behind her to try and catch her gift giver, but they were nowhere to be seen. She continued to search, until she saw a lone person sitting at a table with a newspaper with two eye holes cut into it. She giggled when the newspaper was held up closer. She slid her phone out from her bag and typed a message,

_Thank you. Yet again you saved civilisation from my wrath. _

Across the other side of the library, the newspaper was lowered and she saw Derek pull out his phone, then look up and dipped his head to her. He placed the newspaper on the table, pushed in his chair and turned to leave. When the librarian gave him a strange and accusing look for ripping holes in the paper, he struggled his shoulders and pledged innocence. He smiled as the librarian believed him and quickly left. Meredith giggled at the site, and returned to her work. She continued to clutch her coffee cup in one hand, still making notes with the other.

XOX

It was 2pm by the time Meredith had a moment to return to her room. A quick window of time to grab her bag and leave a note for Cristina, giving some explanation for her absence. It was a Tuesday, and it was highly unlikely she would be back before Thursday night or even Friday. She even considered staying on until Sunday night, and taking the late train home.

_Had to go home for an event. I'd forgotten until this morning with exams and all. Sorry I didn't get to say goodbye but I'll be back Thursday night…ish. _

She had managed to sneak out for a third time whilst everyone was either studying or in lectures. I felt like a grand plan where she had to make an escape whenever she had to get home.

Jumping on the next bus, she made it to the station with 20 minutes to spare. Darting through the crowds from a recent arrival, she bought a packet of Redvines from the concession stand and a large coffee. This would keep her awake for the next three and a half hours.

She was glad the platform wasn't very busy, it meant that the train was likely to be the same. After boarding, she found a seat, stowed her bag by her feet and covered the table in front of her with textbooks and notes, ready to finish her assignment. The ordeal with her mother would take her mind and attention for the night and the next few days, so she had to squeeze in homework wherever and whenever she could from now on.

XOX

Meredith wandered down the supermarket aisle looking for something in a can she could reheat for dinner. It was late Wednesday afternoon, and she had spent all day with her mother. She was starving, and exhausted and still had a full night of work left to do. To top off her lack of cooking skills, the pantry at her house was close to empty. Not even the ironchef could create a meal from tarragon, soy sauce and cornflour. Even when Ellis did live there, there was hardly ever any food, there was even less now that Ellis had officially moved out.

_Mixed beans_, she read, _chickpeas, whole tomatoes, lentils. _

_Yuck. _She thought, as she continued to read the tins.  
"Soup!" She cheered sarcastically to herself, taking a step back to examine the shelf in front of her. Her eyes glazed over the brightly coloured cans, each displaying a different service suggestion. She realised she had been staring at the soups for close to two minutes before she finally caved and pulled two cans at random from the shelf, placing them into her basket. As her eyes glazed over as she walked she heard her name from the opposite direction.

_School teacher_?, she though, _Neighbour? Nurse? _Her mind jumped between suggestions until her eyes met the woman standing at the opposite end of the aisle, walking towards her. _Carolyn Shepherd. Crap._ Meredith felt her stomach drop. At least with her son, she could omit information and he would be too polite to ask, but with Carolyn, she could tell that she knew that she was lying, and she felt really guilty about omitting the truth to such an honest and real person.

"What are you doing home, dear?"

"I had… a… uh, family thing."

"Oh, that's so lovely you've come home. I wish my Derek would visit more often." Carolyn smiled. "Are you alright, dear? You look exhausted."

"I'm fine, just a little tired. College is a little hectic at the moment."

"It's wonderful you made it back for your mother, though. I'm sure she really appreciates it."

Meredith smiled and nodded. Little did Carolyn know that her mother barely knew who she was anymore, and had spent the day reminding her of her name.

"Dear, is that what you are having for dinner?" Carolyn replied, looking concerned.

"Oh, this?" Meredith looked down at her basket, instant noodles, coffee, two cans of soup and tampons. "Um, yeah, well, I planned to grab a few more things on the way out…" She lied.

"Why don't you come around for dinner tonight? Kath and Liz _both_ cancelled on me and I already bought the steak. I had a bit of a craving last week, and there is way too much for just one person."

Meredith's mouth was already watering. She knew Carolyn was a good cook, and steak was her favourite. Carolyn just stood, calmly waiting for her to reply,

"Only if you're sure..." Meredith replied, quietly.

"I am more than sure. It will be lovely to catch up. You can give me all the insider information on Derek and Mark at college. I hope they are being good boys."

Meredith let out a small smirk, noone could call Derek and Mark 'boys', except Carolyn. "Shall we say 6? It'll give you plenty of time to study between now and then, and then plenty of time after dinner. I know what college is like. Feel free to bring over your books, if you don't want to be alone. I was a nurse for 25 years, so I do know a thing or two about medicine, contrary to my children's opinions." Carolyn smiled, "I'm really glad I ran into you, Meredith."

Meredith was sure that Carolyn meant it. She was one of the most genuine people she had ever met.

"Me too. I'll see you at 6. Thank you." Meredith had to admit, she was glad too. The didn't feel like cooking or cleaning up, and her mind was so full of exam revision and her mother's issues that she was having a hard time figuring anything out for herself. Usually she didn't mind being alone either, but the house was beginning to haunt her. The memories of her childhood, where she didn't understand why her mother was always gone were beginning to creep back. Emotionally, she couldn't understand why her mother was so rapidly disappearing and why it hurt so much. She hadn't been there in the first place, but now, mentally she was also departing and it was starting to tear her apart. Carolyn's warmth made her feel loved and safe. If she couldn't be with her friends, she was glad she could be well fed by her boyfriend's mother.

XOX

At 5:50, Meredith was still rooting around in her mother's closet, searching through the piles of dusty gifts from patients. Cards, old chocolate, books, until she found what she was looking for. The stash of expensive alcohols that were usually re-gifted. Meredith found an expensive bottle of red wine and pulled it out into the daylight, dusting it off. The red ribbon was still tied around the neck of the bottle.

"Perfect." Meredith thought. Ellis' taste in alcohol was never wine. She preferred the hard-stuff', as she would call it. Meredith knew that Carolyn liked a glass of red, and now Ellis was forbidden alcohol due to her medications, it was only going to waste.

She pulled on her sandals when she reached the bottom of the stairs, grabbing her keys from the hook and stuffing them into her book bag, pulling the glass door shut behind her. Navigating the streets, she made it to the house with a minute to spare. As Meredith made it up the drive past the big tree, the door was opened, as if by magic. The smell of freshly cooked meat wafted out, causing her stomach to rumble with pleasure.

"Come in, Meredith." Carolyn welcomed her.

"I brought you this." Meredith replied, holding the bottle out. "I know how you like red wine, and I wanted to say thank you for having me tonight."

"Meredith, you didn't have to do this!" Carolyn gushed, genuinely blown away by her expensive gift, "That is very kind of you. Thank you. We shall have a glass with dinner tonight. I won't tell, if you won't. Derek is a very lucky boy to have someone as thoughtful and kind as you." Carolyn stated, walking back towards the kitchen, "Come through and take a seat. I'm nearly finished."

"I think I'm more lucky to have him somedays." She replied, quietly.

XOX

Two hours later and Meredith was full. She sat holding her red glass of red wine, the rich maroon colour was so full of warmth. A warmth she had never seen in her mother, albeit ironic that epitome of sterility, alcohol, brought more comfort than her mother ever did. It was almost a strange juxtaposition and a rude awakening that her mother was less warm, and often less matured, than a glass of wine.

Carolyn cleared away the plates, smiling at how Meredith enjoyed her food.  
"There's dessert too, so you won't be leaving hungry." Carolyn joked from the kitchen. It always gave Meredith hope as to how domestic, but also strong and independent, Carolyn was. "I need to finish preparing, so, by all means, please do study while we wait for it to cook."

"I wouldn't want to see rude…" Meredith began.

"Girl, please. Get those books out. I would think nothing of the sort!"

Meredith continued to read and make notes for her assignment for the next hour. She barely noticed the time pass, feeling content and full. The sun had set outside, but the house was warm and bright. She felt safe. Carolyn slid a piece of cheesecake next to her book, resuming her position across from Meredith once more.  
"There you go, dear. You've worked tirelessly for the past hour!"

"It's been an hour?" Meredith questioned, surprised.

"You've got a good work ethic. That will get you far in life." Carolyn nodded.

As Meredith ate the sweet dessert, she chatted with Carolyn about the Shepherd family and her work in the army. Being inquisitive, Carolyn turned the conversation around on Meredith,  
"And your mother, did I hear Derek and Mark say that she was Ellis Grey?"

Meredith nodded, "the one and only."

"That would have been a great inspiration for a young doctor."

"Hm. Something like that…" Meredith replied, trying to put an end to the conversation.

"And your father?" Carolyn asked, softly.

_May as well bit the bullet. _"Left when I was 5. Haven't seen him since." Meredith replied quickly, for the first time, feeling uncomfortable.

"Oh, I am very sorry to hear that. That must have been horrible for you..."

Meredith just nodded once, looking back to her cake, scraping down the side with her fork. She couldn't get into the mess that was her life now. It was too deep. Too much pain.

"Thanks for dinner tonight." Meredith replied. She needed to protect herself, and as much as she wanted to tell Carolyn everything, she still felt she needed to keep it to herself for the time being.

"Any time, Meredith." Carolyn smiled and returned to the kitchen to return her plate. She brought her glass back out and sat at the table across from Meredith with a large cookbook and note pad to make notes. "You know, you've made quite an impression on this family. Never heard a bad word about you, and I really do want you to know that you are welcome here whenever you please, alright? You are one of us. I know Derek will always look out for you. Amy too. I think you've even got Liz and Kath… That's a hard bet." She laughed. "And me. I'm always here, okay? If you ever need to talk, or a home-cooked meal…"

Meredith just nodded, laying her fork on the side of her plate.

"Glad you enjoyed it, dear." Carolyn smiled, taking her plate. She felt proud that she had managed to get her message across without spooking Meredith like a dog in a thunderstorm.


	32. It Always Comes Out in the Wash

**A long one again; sometimes it's better than splitting it up! I hope you enjoy it, and once more, thank you for all the lovely reviews from last week! Have a great one!**

Derek had Meredith pushed up against her pillows leaning on the bed head. She laughed quietly as his lips travelled down her neck,

"Derek." She smiled, her back was beginning to arch.

"Mhmmm," he replied, moving back up to her lips. "We're not stopping." He almost pleaded, trying to deny the words he knew were about to come.

"Mmmm" she replied, shaking her head as he moved his hand to the top of her neck, pulling himself up further on her bed, so he was back at her height.

"Why do we need to stop?" he sighed, his voice muted on contact to her skin.

"Cristina-" Meredith replied, pulling Derek closer as she wiggled down the bed, "will," she kissed him, "be", again, "back soon."

"Doors locked." He retorted, too engrossed in their make-out session.

"She's got a key." She kissed him.

"I don't mean to state the obvious, but you're not," he got in before she kissed him again, "stopping either."

"No." She replied, her hands travelling up his back, pushing him to roll onto his back. "Not until I have to." He had his hands around her waist as she straddled his stomach looking down at him, smiling. As she grinned down, her light hair fell came untucked from her ears and framed the side of her face. He reached up to tuck it back. When he laughed, her whole body shook, causing her to laugh too. As she leant down to kiss him again, there was a loud knock at the door.

Her lips still touching Derek's she yelled back, "GO AWAY!"

"I'm coming in in 10 seconds. You and Hairproducts had better be fully clothed when I enter."

"Urghh." Meredith groaned, allowing herself to flop to the side, next to Derek.

"9! 8! 7!" Cristina yelled out.

"Get in! We're clothed!" Meredith yelled back. "Wait," she whispered to Derek, "How's my hair?"

"Your hair is fine." He replied, sitting up, "It'd be highly un-masculine of me to ask how mine was, right?" He laughed, running his hands through the dark curls.

She spun his head towards her with her finger under his chin. Looking at him straight in the face, she ran her hand through the left side, "It's fine now." She replied, kissing him quickly on the cheek.

"4! 3!" Cristina continued.

"Far out." Meredith groaned, walking over to the door, pulling it open. "Shut up and come in."

"I hope I didn't interrupt," Cristina smirked, causing Meredith to roll her eyes. "but, you need to see this! Hospital placements are out for next month!"

"Oh. Great." Meredith replied, trying to sound excited, "I wonder where I'm being shipped off to this time…" Her eyes scanned down the page. "Gen? They're sending me home?!" Meredith asked in confusion.

"Yeah, they're sending us far and wide this time, and it's a long one. Two weeks." Cristina replied, "Two weeks away from this place, getting to see the blood and being 2 foot away from the real thing!"

"They'll probably have us sorting filing cabinets." Meredith replied, still staring at the page.

"I don't care. It's still a lot closer to the OR than here. Plus, I'm at Gen too!"

Derek stood from Meredith's bed and moved in behind her, scanning the list for his name, "Me too." He smiled, "this might not be so bad, if the three of us… and Arizona… and Avery… and Mark. Little Grey is at Pres with George. Callie is only at St Michaels with Hunt." He read, "This might be fun!" Derek had obviously forgotten why she didn't want to go there at Christmas.

"Mmm…" Was all Meredith could reply. Out of all of the hospitals, a total of 15 in the regions participating in this program, she got Gen. Gen, where her mother worked, where she grew up, the hospital that she knew like the back of her hand. The hospital where the older doctors would recognise her and ask why her mother had mysteriously disappeared... Suddenly she was praying to be shipped off to an intern, alphabetising and filing charts or hidden in a supply closet auditing.

XOX

Time seems to fly when you're actively not looking forward to something. Suddenly the day arrives, and that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach hasn't shifted. You're just left waiting for something to change for the worst. The worst part is not knowing when it's going to happen.

Hospital placements started Monday, and it was Friday afternoon. The group decided to all drive back together, and Meredith graciously offered up her house as accommodation. Now she was living alone in the huge house for less than 4 months a year, she felt it needed a bit of energy.

As she mopily threw various items of clothing into her duffle bag, Cristina was positively chatty.

"I'm so glad to be getting out of here! We get to _experience_ it! You see, this is why this is the top program in the country. My Mum didn't get why I wanted to come _here_, but, she wouldn't understand. "

Meredith just nodded, continuing to pull out and fold her 'business' clothes that she'd be wearing for the next two weeks.

"And we get to finish it with a WHOLE shift! A whole one! Over night! This is going to be the best work experience ever."

"Yeah…" Meredith weakly agreed.

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Enter at your own risk!" Cristina called out with a laugh.  
_She really is excited_, Meredith thought, _she hardly ever laughs…_

"Hello, hello." Derek smiled, as he pushed open the door. He dropped his bag in the doorway, and walked up to behind Meredith giving her a kiss on her cheek from behind. "Are you both nearly ready? If we stop now we could grab a bite to eat on the way home, and be back before midnight."

"I'm ready!" Cristina announced, zipping up her bag.

"I don't think I've ever seen her so excited…" Derek quietly joked to Meredith.  
"Me neither, it's a little concerning." Meredith whispered back, picking up her bag from the bed, trying her best to hide her worries. "Who else is coming with us?"

"Mark, Yang, you, and me. Avery and Hunt are driving together with Arizona and Callie. George and Lexie drove up last night as their tutorial was cancelled today." Derek recalled. "How we're all going to fit in your house, I don't know!"

"We'll make do. Four bedrooms, a living room and a den….Plenty of space."

"Does Dr Grey mind?" Derek asked, slightly tilting his head to the side.

"No." Meredith replied quickly, she had to make up an excuse, "She's… travelling. Got a few grants for research… She won't be around." She mentally congratulated herself, as Derek took the bait and nodded. "Right. I've got my keys," she quickly continued, "assignment, laptop, phone, ID…" she rattled off her checklist out loud, "I'm ready, I suppose."

Just under four hours later they were pulling back onto the highway after stopping for dinner in a small restaurant in their favourite small town. Derek did consider ordering the pea soup for a laugh, but Meredith caught him out before he could. The mood was excitable, but there was something clouding her vision.

When they pulled into her driveway later on that night, she was the first to make it to the front door. Switching on the hall light, the house was emptier that she remembered, and had a cold vibe. She hoped noone else would notice.

"Wow." Arizona commented as the other car full arrived, "Your house has a lovely foyer."

"Thanks." Meredith replied, "Noones lived her for a while, since Mum's away, so, it might take a bit to get warmed up, but yeah, it's all ours for the next two weeks. Do as you wish. There's 3 more bedrooms upstairs, and the den and couches and stuff down here for everyone else."

"Plus, Mark and I could always sleep at home if we need the room…"

"No, no! You need to stay here. This is our two weeks of being adults. We need to live together and act like it." Callie stated.  
Derek's eyes moved to Meredith's, and she nodded.

"Fine by me. Come on, let's bring all our stuff in." Derek smiled.

"Tomorrow's agenda includes a food shop, by the way. I guarantee there's nothing in the cupboards."

XOX

Meredith had to admit, she liked living with her friends. Granted she missed the peace and quiet her house often brought, and it was hard to avoid everyone at once, it was nice to have some excitement in the house. Between the communal study sessions around the dining table, and having other people cooking for her, she liked having her friends living with her.

Monday morning had soon arrived and Meredith nervously got dressed. Pulling on her dress pants and shirt, she attached her ID tag to her pocket, and stepped out into the hallway. Avery and Hunt stepped out from the opposite room, followed by Derek all dressed in ther suitpants and shirts.

"Well, don't we all look fancy!" Arizona called from the top of the stairs. "Yang and Callie are waiting in the living room, where's Mark?"

"MARK!" Derek shouted over his shoulder.  
"Perfection takes time!" Mark replied, swarvly walking out from the room.

By 6 pm that night, Meredith was happy to be walking through the front door. The whole team removed their jackets, hanging them on the hooks by the door, kicked off their shoes and flopped onto the living room couches.

Their day had started off busy, being split off into pairs and sent around with a handful of doctors until lunch. At lunch their meeting with the chief of surgery was cancelled when he was called into an emergency meeting.  
Meredith breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the news. So far, noone had picked up her last name, yet. Although she knew Ted wouldn't make a bit deal of it, she was unsure if he knew she was coming, and was hoping she could see him first quietly, if not only to get a quick update on her mother. After lunch, they were split between the nurses stations and sent on scut work. Noone really minded, as their spirits were still bright as it was Day 1.

Sleep seemed like the best thing to do at that point, everyone sitting quietly in the room.

"I'm so hungry." Meredith said, slowly standing from the couch, "Pizza?"

The whole room nodded, "I'm really glad you suggested that as I do not feel like cooking right now." Derek smiled.

XOX

Day 2, 3, and 4 came and went, and finally it was Friday. Avery and Cristina managed to snag time in the OR Gallery with their residents, whilst Meredith ended up in the clinic. She knew she could probably suture rings around the intern she was with, but she was hardly going to make a scene. She could have done a better job when she was 10. Mark already hit on 3 nurses and 2 drug reps, gaining him access to the ICU facilities, luckily not as a patient. Derek spent time with Avery in MRI and CT, whilst Arizona enjoyed her time on the Paeds ward. They were starting to feel more comfortable, and settling in to their work experience, but by 6pm, boy were they glad it was the weekend.

"I'm exhausted. I know I have said that every night, but there's a good chance I'll never make it to be a doctor. I'll sleep for a year after my first shift." Cristina caved.

"Me too." Everyone agreed.

"I'll cook if someone comes to talk to me to keep me awake." Hunt offered, standing and wandering into the kitchen.

Arizona followed behind, "I'll make a salad or something if someone else does the dishes."

Lexie nodded and followed behind, "no avocado and I'll volunteer."

A soft laugh was heard from everyone in the room as they recalled her allergic reaction last time Meredith cooked for everyone back at college.

Their weekend was packed with sleep and study. The group surrounded the table for most of the day Saturday, only taking a break to head out for a walk to the supermarket for supplies in the afternoon. At dinner, they headed out to the porch and dusted off the old barbecue, filling the air with the scent of freshly cooked sausages and potatoes. As they chatted and ate, Meredith noticed how relaxed she had become, and it wasn't until Monday morning that this feeling would change.

Walking into the hospital together, the group felt relaxed and excited. The past week had been such a success that they felt they were thriving under the conditions. They were being sent on handover with the nurses for the morning shift. Sharing a joke, they all followed Sharon, the head nurse, from the lift onto the third floor. They walked confidently from down the hall, everyday becoming less phased by their surroundings, concentrating only on the task at hand. Meredith was walking at the front of the group, sharing a joke with the others behind until, until they were distracted by yelling coming from the lift behind her.

"AMATEURS! AMATEURS!" The woman tied into the bed yelled. "What is _she_ doing here?!" She continued to yell as the patient spotted their group all standing against the wall in shock. Meredith quickly rounded the corner, trying to hide hiding. "I told you not to bother me at WORK!" She continued to yell.  
"Who have we got?" Sharon asked, leaving the students and walking towards the doctors. When the interns didn't reply at first she asked again, "Patients name?!"

"Ellis Grey. Condition hard to determine due to violence induced by early on-set Alzheimer's" On the one of the left answered.

"Page Doctor Bartieth, and get her into a private room, stat." Sharon answered, signing the chart before handing it back to the intern. Stepping back towards the stunned group of students, she tried to explain,

"Sometimes you get patients like that, but try not to worry. They sometimes have a back story…" She continued to walk down the hall, not noticing that she was missing a student. None of the group followed, all still starring straight ahead with their mouths wide open in shock. Starring down at the clipboard with their names on it, Sandra looked up with a puzzled look, "Are you all coming?"

Noone moved again, and then she noticed Meredith hiding on the other side of the wall, looking shaken. "Oh my goodness." Sharon noted, looking up from over her glasses. "You're Meredith Grey… It's been so long that I didn't recognise you."

Noone said anything as Sharon whisked them all into the nearby board room. Meredith sat at the front, completely silent, starring straight ahead.

"Okay. Shepherd and Sloan, you're headed downstairs back to CT. I'll call down to warn them you are coming. Yang and Avery, Robbins- head up to floor 5. You're spending the day in Derm. Grey, you've got the day off, you're coming with me. I want the rest of you to report to me at 1pm at the main lifts on the 2nd floor."

The group tried to linger, especially Cristina and Derek as they hoped they would get to speak to Meredith, but Sharon caught them out. Raising her eyebrows, she asked, "Did you have any questions?"

"…No." They both replied.

"Then you'd better head off quick smart before they call out a search warrant for you. Go. She's with me now."

Meredith was unphased by the talking, not having moved since sitting down.  
As the door shut behind them, Sharon came and sat on the side of the table infront of Meredith.

"I'll sign you the rest of the week off, Meredith. I know you will want to be with your mother." She offered, sympathetically.

"I'd prefer you just put me to work, if that is okay." Meredith replied shaking her head, "I could do some filing or something?" She offered, almost desperately. "I can't go and sit in there with her now in her current state. I've had things thrown at me before. I can tell you that a bound Annals of Surgery hurts when it hits you in the head. Trust me. Please, just keep me hidden from everyone, including my friends for as long as possible."

Sharon nodded, furrowing her brow as she tried to comprehend what Meredith had just said. "Okay…"

"Just, please can you ask if I can speak to Ted, and I will work really hard for the rest of the day."

"I suppose… Look, there's a stack of charts that need to be ordered in the small room behind the nurses station, is that okay? It may take a few hours…"

"Perfect. Thank you." Meredith replied, standing from the chair. "I'll deal with my mother when I have to, okay?"

XOX

"Hello?" Ted asked, opening the door to the dark charts room. The large metal shelves lining the walls were filled with boxes all containing old charts, make the room dark. "Is there a reason I was paged to the charts storage room?"

Meredith stood from sitting behind a box,

"Meredith! I saw your name on the list of incoming students but I was out on a conference until Thursday last week and then got called into a meeting then an emergency surgery on Friday… I can only assume that you're hiding in here because your mother is out there… I tried to call your mobile, but it didn't go through."  
"Is she okay?" Meredith asked.

"She will be." He reassured her, closing the door behind him. "They are running tests. I understand if you don't want to continue with this week. I can sign off your forms saying you participated?" He offered.

"I'd prefer it if you put me to work." She stated, looking back at the semicircle of patient charts and boxes surrounding where she had been sitting.  
"What ever you want to do is fine. Just let me know, and I will back you up. There are a few forms I do need you to sign on behalf of your mother, though. Shall I bring them back in here?"

Meredith nodded and turned to sit back to behind her boxes. Her exciting week in the hospital was soon turning into a stressful and embarrassing time. Her mother's secret was out, her biggest fear of facing her friends was looming and she hated the thought of having to leave the small, dark, snug filing room. At least she was safe in here.

XOX

At six that evening, Meredith knew that her friends would be finishing up, and after not having left the storage room all day, they would surely be worried about her. Light flooded in as a large figure appeared in the doorway. She expected it was just another nurse, as she had spent the day hiding when anyone would enter, hoping not to have to answer any questions.

"Meredith?" Ted questioned, quietly. "There's a boy outside asking where you are. Would you like me to let him in, or tell him I've got you working somewhere with no access?" Ted asked.

"Does he have dark curly hair?" Meredith sighed, putting down the files she was holding, leaning back against the wall.

"Yes, he does." Ted answered, slightly confused.

"You had better let him in…" She conceded, leaning her head back against the wall. She had spent the whole day avoiding everyone, but she finally knew she had to speak to someone, and Derek was probably the most worried.

"Please do call me or drop by if you need to talk to someone or if you have any questions, Meredith. You know my door is always open." Ted replied, softly. He slowly shut the door behind him, and she could hear the mumbles of him talking to someone outside. There was a light knock, before the door was cracked open.

"Meredith?" Derek asked quietly.

"Yeah..." She answered.

"We thought you'd be in with your mother…"

"Nope. Right here. Hiding in a storage closet." She stated with whimsical flare.

"… I can see that." Derek replied, slightly confused. He didn't want to interrogate or pressure her, but there was a lot of information he was missing from what seemed to be a very convoluted story. He stepped over a few boxes and slid down the wall next to her so their shoulders were touching. They sat in silence for a long time, until Meredith finally decided that it was long enough.

"My mother has early onset Alzheimer's, and as of today, a heart condition and maybe liver cancer. To top it all off, today, she became lucid. Freaking lucid. That never happens! To anyone else in the freaking world, once you've got Alzheimer's it stays! You don't turn back! But no, Ellis Grey is too extraordinary to have a normal freaking disease. Spring Break, I had to move her into a residence as she was unable to look after herself. Every time I have disappeared from college for a few days, I've been here because something has gone wrong. She becomes violent and angry. I have to deal with the nurses, and her carers, and make sure she isn't kicked out, because she really does have nowhere else to go. I do her finances, buy her new clothes, try to figure out her retirement, her possessions, her career… I am now in charge of everything to do with my mother. I am her legal guardian. It's on me. _Everything_, is on _me._ And until today? Two people knew that she had Alzheimer's aside from the _single_ carer she lets even close to her. The _world famous_ Ellis Grey has supposedly been travelling and researching the world. But in all truth? The only person who has been travelling is me. I've been travelling back and forth from college to spend time with someone who doesn't even know who I am most of the time. She is reliving her glory days of residency, thinking I am a colleague or a nurse, or worst of all, she still thinks I am 5, and yells at me to let her work and to go home, like today. I can't move on with my life because I am stuck in her time-warp. She's my mother and now I am in charge of everything and I barely know anything about her, even though, genetically she's my closest relative. I just wanted to be closer with her, Derek. As a kid, all I wanted was a hug. But, my Dad left, and all I had left was this shell of my mother who tried to kill herself in front of me. I sat in a pool of her blood, waiting for her to pass out so I could call for help. I was raised to be strong and independent, but I hoped that I would never become like her, but I did want to know her. I wanted her to be my _mum_. A mum like all the other girls in my class had, and a small part of me hoped that it may still come. When I was old enough for her to know _me_ as a person when I was at Med School, you know? A time when she respected my choices because I was gifted and extraordinary. But, things change, and now, this is what has happened. So, I am alone again, but this time, I'm fending for two. Who knows how long she's lucid for, and who even knows why. Once again, we're treading on eggshells, because something tiny may tip her over the edge." Meredith finished, still staring straight ahead. Derek just took her hand from her lap and pulled it into his.

"I am so sorry, Meredith." He replied, still shocked by how dark her back story was. He hadn't know any of what she had just said, and honestly wondered to himself how she managed to hide such a deep and painful back story.

She rested her head on his shoulder, and a single tear fell from her eye.

"I don't know where to go from now." She admitted.

"Why don't we just stay here for a while? The others know where the spare key is." He suggested. She nodded, but didn't remove her head from his shoulder. She let her eyes close as her mind explored the outcomes of the days ahead. Her thoughts were interrupted by Derek's quiet voice. "I love you, Mer."

She opened her eyes as they flooded with tears. "Please tell me you don't mean that."

He was almost taken a back by her reply, hoping he hadn't said the wrong thing.

"People that _love_ me, _leave_ me. You can't love me, as you can't leave." She pleaded.  
He let out a small smile, "I will be the first, okay? I can love you, and I will never leave." He promised, "Scouts honour." He stated, holding his fingers up to his forehead.

"Guides honour." Meredith replied, holding her fingers up. "Not that I was ever in Girl Guides…" She placed her head back on his shoulder, picking up his hand again. "I love you too, Derek."  
"I'm glad." He replied, letting out a small laugh. "Life is a treacherous road."

XOX

At midnight, Meredith and Derek snuck back into the house after walking home from the busstop. Meredith didn't fancy seeing anybody or having to live through the sympathetic looks, even if they were from her friends. As they walked quietly down the hallway, Derek went to turn left into the room he was sharing with Mark, but Meredith held onto his hand.

"Thanks for sitting with me." She whispered. "I think I'll head in early too, tomorrow. Leave here before 7… I don't have the energy to face the others just yet…"

"I'll come with you, okay?" He asked.

She nodded her head, letting go of his hand. "See you in the morning."

She turned and walked down to her room, closing the door behind her. She pulled off her clothes, tossing them on the chair and pulled on her tshirt and shorts and climbed into bed. She hadn't eaten in hours but she didn't feel like doing anything but sleeping. Unfortunately, by 3am, her body had other plans. She tossed and turned, and decided to finally give up. Pulling out her textbooks she tried to study, but her mind was too clouded. She quietly headed out to the hall, noticing that Derek's door was slightly open. His eyes cracked open as she saw her shadow linger in the hall.

"Mer, what's wrong?" He was suddenly awake. "Is it your mother? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?" he was suddenly wide awake and starring back at her in the dark. She walked over and squatted next to his face

"I can't sleep."

"Do you want me to get up? We could do some study, or watch tv?" He suggested, but she shook her head. "…You're welcome to join me."

She thought about it. He looked very comfortable, and it was a longish walk back to her room.

"Would Mark mind?" she asked.

"He's not getting in here too, I'm drawing the line there. I've always accommodated alternate sleeping arrangements when he's had company. He can stay as long as he stays in his bed." He laughed.

"Okay, but what if one of the others walked in? They'd think that we were…"

"They won't. Plus, they've been asleep for hours." He pulled off the covers, and she slowly slid in next to him. His hands snaked down her back and found their way around her stomach. It was like sleeping him a large heater. He was so warm. She could feel his stubble scratching the back of her neck, giving her goosebumps. She squirmed back close into his chest. She turned her head and whispered to him, "I'll excuse your halitosis and the whiskers."

"Thank you. I was hardly expecting company." He whispered back, "But company of your kind, specifically you, is always welcome."

"Good to hear that it is just me you enjoy in your bed."

"Just you." He confirmed.

She finally was getting the sleep she needed, but the thought still lingered, that how soon this, like all of her relationships, would turn to dust.

XOX

In her half dream state she tossed and turned and tried to break free, but it was holding on too tight. She was thrashing, sinking in the water, but she was restrained, and unable to grab anything to stop her from drowning. She was pushing hard, she was fighting, trying to break free, but she was getting nowhere.

"Mer," Derek eased, trying to wake her up and calm her down, "Meredith. Meredith. Meredith." He called, shaking her slightly, but her legs continued to kick and her arms were pushing him away. In a single bed, there isn't far to move to get away from a partner with night terrors.

"Ouchhh." Derek groaned, as Meredith kicked him in the shin, "Meredith!" He tried to wake her up, but as he tried to move in, she kicked harder, this time, hitting him right in his 'special place'. He bit his tongue, moaning into the pillow.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH." His voice was muffled, but tears pricked his eyes.

She jolted awake in a cold sweat, to see Derek yelling into the pillow.

"What's going on?" She asked, panting, sitting up straight, eyes wide.

"Mmm?" Derek asked, blinking, his voice high, his body throbbing, "You were having a nightmare." He decided against explaining the rest of the story to her, it was too hard and too painful to endure speaking for long periods of time. She dried her eyes and pulled off the covers sitting on the side of the bed. "Mer, don't worry. Where are you going? Ahhh, it's cold out there." He urged her.

She sat on the side of the bed, staring into the darkness. "I dreamt my mother was dying and I was left with this huge house and list of stuff to do and then I fell off this huge pier into the water, and I was drowning but no matter how much I fought, I kept sinking…" She whispered. "and then I gave up."

His heart broke when he heard the sadness in her voice, and the relief she thought she was receive by simply giving up.

"I'll never let you drown, okay? And you know how to swim, so you'll be alright, okay?" He reassured her.

She breathed out, and lay back down. "I'll be alright." She repeated, rolling over into Derek's chest as he lay on his side. "I can swim, and I'll be alright."


	33. The Start of Something Big

**Thanks for the feedback reviewers! I hope that this is better. Please do let me know if it's not!  
Have a lovely week. :)**

"I tried knocking on her door, but she didn't answer." Arizona whispered loudly to the rest of the group huddled in the hallway. To make it to the hospital on time they had to leave within the next five minutes. They had congregated outside Derek and Mark's door, little did they know that she and Derek were still asleep behind it. They were at a loss of what to do after yesterday's events. "Do we go in and wake her up?" She asked.

"… Did they even come home last night?" Lexie interjected, "they weren't back by the time we went to bed."

"I heard a door open at around midnight." Avery added. "I'm fairly sure I heard Derek's voice. Either that or we were burgled by a chatty robber…"

"Yang should go in. She's her best friend." Callie whispered.

"She just needs some space right now." Cristina insisted, "I'll go see if she is alright, then we should all go. Mark should still have Derek's car keys from yesterday and we will see her tonight. Has anyone even seen Mark?" Cristina hissed.

Everyone shook their heads as Mark emerged from the bathroom.

"There he is!" Lexie loudly whispered and pointed towards him. The whole group immediately turned to look, following her finger.  
"It's lovely to see you all too." He beamed.

"Do you still have Derek's keys?" Lexie whispered back.

"They're in here." He pointed to the door, just as it was pulled open, revealing a sleep-drunk Meredith. She rubbed her eyes, suddenly shocked by the presence of all of her friends in the hall.

"Meredith, hi." Arizona cooed, "Are you, um, coming with us today?" She asked sweetly.

"We'll wait, if you are." Callie added in, trying to ease the uncomfortable air in the corridor. Meredith tried to speak, but when she opened her mouth nothing came out, instead she took the cup of coffee from George's hands and walked straight into the bathroom and pushed the door behind her. She slid down the door until she was sitting on the cold, tiled floor, clutching the cup.

"I could have told you she was in there," Mark stated, "She crept in last night after her and Derek got home. When I woke up this morning, she had buried herself into Derek and her knuckles were white, clutching onto his shirt. She looked pretty upset…" Mark shrugged, "Derek is," Mark peeked his head into the room, "awake. Hey buddy."

"Um... hi?" Derek replied, limping to the doorway.

"Why are you walking weirdly?" George questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Meredith, uh, she kicked me a few times last night, and right now, I'm contemplating whether or not I'll ever be able to have children." He replied, letting out a pained sigh.  
Mark laughed the loudest, slapping Derek on the shoulder. "And it's not even a sex injury…" Mark shook his head.

"Shut up, Mark." Derek rolled his eyes. "We over slept, so, you guys go and we can take Mer's car."

"Is she alright?" Lexie asked sympathetically, looking towards the bathroom, where Meredith could obviously hear them.

"I don't know." Derek replied honestly, "But I am trying my hardest to look after her. You guys should go. Can you please tell Sharon that I'll come find her when we get there?"

The group nodded, patting Derek on the arm and waving a quiet goodbye, until everyone was gone but Cristina and Derek.

"How she managed to keep this hidden for such a long time, I'll never know." Derek sighed, leaning against the door frame. Cristina just shrugged and shook her head agreeing, leaning back on the other side of the frame. "You're her best friend. She calls you her _person_. I think I'm about to spend my day hiding in the filing room on 3. If you can't find us at 6pm, tell the others to leave and come to the room. We could always do with a third member." Derek offered, hoping Cristina would have some insight into the mysterious Meredith.

Cristina didn't reply, but nodded understandingly. She walked over to the bathroom door and sat down leaving against it.

"Mer?" She asked, sliding her hand under as far as it would go. She felt Meredith's long fingers take hers and squeeze them. "I'll keep them all away for a while. Derek is staying now…I'll find you at lunch."

She felt her friend squeeze them again, and a meek, "thank you."

Cristina squeezed her friend's fingers once more and pulled out her hand and stood up. She nodded at Derek and continued down the hall and out the front door to meet her friends and head to the hospital.

Derek stood in the doorway for a bit longer before heading back to his room and flopping back on the bed. He was exhausted and sore in all the wrong places.

XOX

"Derek. You're walking funny. Stop it!" Meredith hissed of out of the side of her mouth as they walked up the tree lined path to the hospital's main entrance. "People are staring!" She added.

"I can't help it." He whispered back.

"Well, you look pretty silly." She smirked back. At least this had lightened her mood a little. "Derek," She pleaded, still clutching his hand, "Please stop. No. Stop. Derek." She was beginning to laugh, which only drew more attention to him.

"I can't!" He insisted.

"What did you even do?" She laughed quietly.

"Well… Um…"

"Is this going to be one of those really embarrassing stories about some private detail that I will not want to know about?" She asked as she stopped walking and looked him straight in the eye with an eyebrow raised.

"What? Ew. No!" He insisted. He sighed, unsure whether he should tell her the truth or if she would spiral out again. "You were thrashing about last night, so I tried to wake you up, but you kicked me in the shin, which was alright, so I tried to wake you up again, but, then you kicked me again and that one… Well, that last kick hurt me, and my chances of future generations a lot." He replied, rubbing his forehead.

Meredith contemplated his last few sentences slowly, before she turned and looked shocked and horrified.

"Oh my gosh, Derek. I am so sorry." She spat out quickly in realisation, slapping both hands over her mouth.

"It's fine. I'll be fine." He replied, trying to reassure her, taking her hand back and starting to walk again.

She started to laugh quietly, and bit her lip. "I'm really sorry." She giggled.  
"I'm glad it has made you laugh." He smiled back.

"I feel bad for laughing at your pain, but, it has made me feel a bit better…"

"Anything for you, eh? Is this better?" he asked, altering his gate slightly in an attempt to look more normal.

"You can walk as funny as you like. It's my fault."

As they approached the lift, Meredith was still smirking and letting out the occasional laugh under her breath.

"I'm heading up to see Ted. You'd better go and speak to Sharon." She suggested, pressing the 'up' button.

"Don't you want me to come with you?" he asked. He had expected to spent the day hidden in a closet.

"No, I'll be okay." She reassured him. "I wouldn't want to do anything else to hurt you."

"Are you sure? I've got no injuries on my arms yet…" He smirked.

"I'm sure. If I don't see you at lunch, come find me at 6. Will you wait and come home with me?"

"Course. I think Yang was going to wait, too."

"Okay." She nodded.

"Bye Derek," She stepped into the lift, leaving him outside. He turned and walked down the hall towards the station where he expected to find Sharon. This girl was so full of mystery, but so determined to be independent.

XOX

"So, Meredith. Tell me about yourself. I really do want to know…" Her mother prompted her, walking around to the side of the bed.

"I'm at college. I'm here on placement… I've only got 3 days left here, but whilst you're here, I'll stay on." Meredith replied, pulling her feet up onto the chair.

"You're at college…" Ellis replied whistfully, but her thoughts were soon broken and her harsh tone returned. "I hope you're studying hard."

"Top of my class." Meredith replied with a nod.

"Are you living alone?"

"Whilst I stay here? No. My friends are living with me at the house. We're a bunch of future surgeons…"

Ellis nodded and pursed her lips into a small smile. "I've seen them darting around here, looking more terrified than the interns…"

"It'd be really bad luck to kill someone before your first day." Meredith smirked. She heard a rustling behind her, and turned around to see Cristina standing in the doorway. "Cristina," Meredith signalled for her to join them, "Mum, this is my bestfriend and roommate. Future cardiothoractic surgeon, and equal valedictorian."

Cristina stuck out her hand and shook Ellis. "It's such a pleasure to meet you." She gushed.

"Hm. Eager." Ellis replied, scowling slightly. "I appreciate the enthusiasm. Who else?"

"Callie and Arizona, and um, Mark, and Harper Avery's grandson, Jackson…" Meredith continued as Ellis nodded with approval at her final addition.

"He's a very wise man, Harper Avery."

"And um, Owen… George… Lexie… " Meredith continued, as Cristina stood next to her, "and Derek." Cristina nudged her leg, the excitement of meeting female pioneer Ellis Grey had reduced her to the intellectual ability of a tweeniebopper.

"Are you and Derek dating?" Ellis asked, raising her eyebrows and sitting up straight on the side of the bed.

"Yeah…" Meredith agreed, hazardously.

"Does he understand the demands of your study? Because all boys say they do, but they don't."  
"He's studying with us too, so he does understand."

"Have you chosen a specialty yet?" Ellis interrogated.

"Not yet… It's early. Really early. I'm not even properly at med school yet..."

"Cristina has chosen her specialty." Ellis retorted.

"I'm just waiting to be… inspired." Meredith replied, relaxing into the conversation. "I'm happy now. You know, I feel like I know who I am. You know… When you've got someone in your life, who you really love, I think that's… I don't know… It's just… I'm really happy."

"What's happened to you?" Ellis asked. "Stammering about your boyfriend and saying that you're waiting inspiration? I've got a disease for which there is no cure, surely that's inspiration enough!"

"Mum…" Meredith tried to stop her, as Cristina quickly ducked out from the room, wanting to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

"Meredith! Anyone can fall in love and be blindly happy, but not everyone can pick up a scalpel and _save_ someone. I raised your to be an extraordinary human being. Imagine my disappointment when I wake up after so many years to discover that you are no more, than ordinary!" Ellis fumed. Meredith sat shell-shocked in the chair, her eyes moistening with tears. She stood to leave, but by the time she had reached the door, her pain had turned to anger. She whipped around and walked up to her mother, until she was less than a foot away.

"You. YOU happened to me." She told her quietly and harshly, pointing to her mother.

And with that, she turned on her heel, tripped on the chair leg and knocked herself unconscious.


	34. Everything Major Occurs in a Hospital

**Here's the next instalment! I hope you enjoy it. Once more, thanks for the lovely reviews!  
Hopefully see you same time, same place next week!**

Ted entered the room to see Ellis staring down at her daughter lying on the floor in shock.

"What happened?" He asked, throwing her chats on the chair by the bed bending over so he was right next to Meredith.

"… I don't know." Ellis answered, her hands shaking. She had gone into shock and her brain was beginning to shut down.

"How long has she been out for?" He questioned her, rolling Meredith onto her side and checking her pulse.

"I don't know! Who is she?"

"Who is she?" He repeated under his breath, realising that Ellis was no longer living in the present day.

"Ellis, press that big red button on the wall for me."

She nodded and pressed the button, taking a seat on the bed as Ted continued to search and push two fingers into Meredith's neck. Sharon came running into the room to see Ted kneeling next to Meredith's small frame, Ellis staring straight ahead.

"What happened?!"

"I don't know, and it seems that Ellis is no longer senile. Pulse is weak and irregular, pupils are sluggish but responsive, but she's out cold. I need a history for this girl. Head trauma, medical conditions, any previous surgeries. Where are her friends? There's a Miss Yang, or… Shepherd… Derek Shepherd. From the way he looked at her the other day, I think they are dating. I need you to find them now." He ordered. "Get me a gurney and oxygen and page neuro."

"Yes, Chief."

"Thank you."

Fifteen minutes later, Cristina and Derek were sitting in the boardroom they had been in only a few days earlier when they had discovered the news of the great Ellis Grey.

"Dr Bartieth will be with you shortly." Sharon instructed, as she quickly collated information she had found on Meredith on the online medical records.

"May I ask, have we done something wrong?" Derek asked, warily.

"No, it's nothing like that." Sharon tried to reassure them without giving anything away. "Dr Bartieth will be with you sh-"

Before she could even finish her sentence, the door was quickly flung open and Sharon met him in the doorway. They both turned to face away from the two students sitting at the table, still confused, whispering quietly to each other.

"She's in Room 5201. I assigned Dr Moranna to babysit. She's down at CT and monitoring vitals. Anything goes south, Moranna is fired." He hissed. "This girl hasn't had anyone to fight for her, so we are fighting with all our might now. Pull out all the stops." He breathed out quickly, closed his eyes for a moment to regain himself before turning to face the two concerned students at the table.

"I need to ask you a few questions, but I need you both to remain calm."

At the words 'remain calm', Cristina's eyes widened, and Derek clutched the arm of the chair.

"What's going on?" Cristina asked.

"Has Meredith had any recent surgeries?"

"What's wrong with Meredith?" Derek demanded.

"She had her appendix removed." Cristina shot in quickly. "Mind post-infection, she was put on bed-rest for a week."  
"It happened on December 26th at Pres." Derek added. "What's going on?" He asked more desperately.

"Has she had any head traumas or concussion?" Ted continued on, taking notes in depth.

"What's wrong with Meredith!?" Derek asked again.

"We think she had a fall in her mother's room, and I need to know this information as soon as possible to make sure that she is okay. I will take you both to see her, but I need you to tell me this now, okay?" He answered, placing his hand on Derek's arm.

"She was knocked over and had a mild concussion after a game of touch football before spring break…" Cristina thought hard. "But she always falls over and hits her head on stuff…"  
"After the appendix, we went for a check up… Would have been in February. And we nearly got his by a car running a red light and she fell onto the road…" Derek offered. "But Yang is right, she always hits her head on stuff. Doors and things…" In Derek's head, a short montage played of all the times him and Meredith had been together and she had hit her head. During lunch, getting things out from under her desk, during their make-out sessions, in lectures…

"Any medical conditions?"

Cristina and Derek both looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Is she on any medication?"

They shook their heads again.

"Okay, thank you. Now, allergies?"

Cristina shook her head, and Derek stared at the table, "She hates Chinese food."

"I'll be sure to not treat her with an IV bag of egg rolls." Ted smiled.

Derek let out a small smirk, "Sorry. I didn't quite realise what I was saying until I said it."

"No information is bad information." Ted reassured him, as his pager beeped.

"911." He muttered, and looked up to see two sets of eyes staring back at him in horror. "Not Meredith!" He quickly added. "You both stay here, I will be back to take you up to see her." He instructed them. He left the room as quickly as he arrived, catching up with Sharon outside the door.

"Still unresponsive. She's had her head CT and the blood test results and scans should be available any moment. I need you to keep these two occupied. I will page you when I'm ready for them to come. Thank you, Sharon." He added, setting off down the hallway in the direction of his page.

She sighed and opened the door to the room, putting on her best positive face.

"Alright, you two and coming with me. I'll take you to see Meredith as soon as she is back. There's nothing to worry about, okay? Ted is going above and beyond to make sure she is absolutely fine. When there is a history of head trauma, even a mild concussion, sometimes things just take a little longer. It's probably nothing, but, we're just making sure, okay?"

Derek just nodded, staring straight past her, and Cristina didn't even respond.

"Okay, I've got a few rounds to run on 4, and when she is back from CT, we'll head up. Okay?" She smiled, reassuringly. "Let's go."

Derek and Cristina stuck close to each other, following Sharon as she made the twists and turns down the hallways. They followed her up and down the stairwells, and to the nurses station on 4, where she began to sort a few charts and reorganised their contents quickly on the desk top. Her pager began to beep, and she looked down and read the screen.

"Crap." She muttered. "I have to go, 911 on 3. Stay here." She instructed. "Meredith will be out soon and I will take you, okay? Don't move." She ordered. "Dr Parter!" She called out to the intern behind them, "Watch these two!" She pointed to Cristina and Derek who were leaning depressively on the countertop. Dr Parter looked up from her the computer screen and absent mindedly nodded. As Sharon ducked between patients, families and doctors lining the halls, Derek and Cristina were left in silence.

"She yelled at her this morning. I was walking by the room as they were talking and Meredith invited me in, " Cristina told Derek. "While I was there, Ellis yelled and told her that she was disappointed that she had woken up and found her daughter was nothing more than ordinary." Derek stood, shell-shocked as Cristina continued, "She told her that it was disappointing she hadn't picked her specialty,"

"We've barely even started training! We're not even formally at med school!" He almost yelled.

"Meredith said she was happy, she had someone she loved and so all the stress didn't matter, and Ellis yelled that she shouldn't need inspiration to study, when she was dying from an incurable disease…"

"Mer…" Derek sighed sympathetically, yearning to go and find her in this large hospital.

"She virtually told her that she was a failure." Cristina hung her head.  
"She's anything but!" Derek argued, "It's a miracle that that girl has survived with such hope and enthusiasm!" He yelled, flailing his arms.

"I know…" Cristina agreed.

"I can't be here." Derek stated, shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head. They both turned and back at Dr Parter. Her creased forehead and foot tapping depticted her intense concentration, occasionally starring up to the computer screen. "Quick." Cristina hissed. "I heard them say Mer was in 5201. Go. Now. I'll catch up."  
Derek wiped the tears that were beginning to form in his eyes, nodding at Cristina. He quickly looked behind him at the doctor and swiftly moved down the corridor.

"_Meredith, you hit your head on the floor after tripping on a chair leg, and now you're here, in your after life…"_

_"Yeah, that sucked." She shrugged, playing with her neighbour's old dog which she had fallen in love with as a child._

_"No… What happened to us," the characters surrounding her, "That sucked! We had families, and lives, but you…"_

_"We're all here because you called us here." Her mother's old scrub nurse told her._

_"I didn't… Did I?"_

_"Tell us about what happened, Meredith."_

_"I hit my head, that's all. Head traumas can be fatal, especially when mutiple occur within a short series of time…" She shrugged._

_"But the dreams, and the tub…" Her former bestfriend's boyfriend, who had been killed in a car accident, said._

_"You've seen me in the tub?"  
"I haven't seen you in the tub… I wish I saw women in the tub…. But…" He floundered._

_"Meredith, you're giving up after tripping over..."_

_"It's not that simple…" Meredith spoke back._

_"It is that simple. When you're this close to death, everything seems this simple."_

As Derek wandered the 5th floor, his gaze drifted in and out of the rooms as he passed him. His shoe heels clicked along the floor on each step. His head hung low, following the occasional checked black and white tiling on the floor. He stopped abruptly when he noticed a familiar face lying in a room to the left. He quietly entered, and sat on the large blue couch, hidden in view from the corridor by the blue curtain to his right. He knew he should have kept walking. Nothing good was going to come from this visit, but he needed to stand up for Meredith. As Ellis stirred in her bed, Derek was awoken from his comatose state.

"Water. Get me some water." Ellis demanded monotonously, as she noticed Derek sitting on the couch. Standing from his position, he rubbed his face and wiped his eyes. He handed her the cup, and waited for her to finish.

"You broke her." He whispered. Ellis' brow furrowed lightly as she tried to comprehend what he was saying. "You called her ordinary. You taught her time and time again that nothing she does _ever_ is good enough. Every good thing Meredith is, happen despite you. If she doesn't survive this, and that is on you. That is on _you_!" He raised his voice slightly.

"Derek." Cristina called from the door, urging him to stop. He turned and left the room, leaving Ellis looking bewildered.

"There's no use. She can't do anything to fix her now…" Cristina tried to talk him down. She wasn't sure she believed it herself, and would much rather give Ellis a piece of her mind, but she knew deep down that it was no use. They stood with their backs to the wall by the fire escape, watching the commotion of the floor passby.

"Maybe we should head back downstairs." Derek sighed. Cristina nodded and pushed open the stairwell door. They entered the fourth floor and drudged back to the nurses station as Ted approached from the opposite direction.  
"There you two are!" He called, neither angry or concerned.

"Bathroom." Cristina offered. Derek was in no state to make an excuse.

"That's fine." He nodded. "Meredith's scans are good, blood is normal, it's just a matter of time. I'll be keeping a close eye. There are a few factors…"

"Factors?" Derek breathed in.

"Let me worry about those, and you two can go and sit with her for a while, on one condition." He pushed. They both waited expectantly for him to inform them, his eyes flicked down to his paged and he looked back up. "You both need to go eat something. It's 5pm and you haven't had a break." As both Derek and Cristina opened their mouths to protest, Ted shot back in, "Don't even bother telling me that you're not hungry, because whilst you're here working for me, I'm required to give you a break. 10 minutes. I will take you to the caf, run two sets of labs over and then I'll be back to pick you up and take you to her room."

They both nodded. It was easier to agree than to argue.

_"I can't be here!" Meredith wailed, "I need to get back! It's not enough to just get a whiff of Derek, or, or, or, Cristina…" Meredith cried, letting out her emotion._

_"We've been told there isn't much time."_

_"I'm out of time?" Meredith questioned desperately. "I need to get back!"_

Entering the cafeteria, Cristina and Derek lined up quietly, Derek buying a small salad and Cristina getting a banana.

"I don't intend to eat this, do you?" Derek asked her.

"Nope."

They paid at the register, taking the food back to a small table by the window. As the rest of the world continued around them, they felt as if they were stuck in a time warp. Derek picked at the green leaves with his plastic fork as Cristina peeled the banana and ripped off small pieces with her fingers.

"She couldn't sleep the other night, and I woke up as she passed my room, so she came and lay down… She finally fell asleep but she had this nightmare that she had this huge list of problems to fix and she couldn't and then she fell into this large pier and she was drowning…" He rubbed his face again and ran his fingers through his hair. Cristina waited patiently across the table, beginning to pull apart a napkin on the table, "She was flailing and then she suddenly went all calm, but woke up suddenly, tears streaming down her face, coughing and hyperventilating. She said that before she woke up, she had just… given up. She made giving up sound like such a relief… What if she just gives up now?" He asked.

"She can't just _give up._" Cristina tried to reason, "She can't…"

"It'll kill me if she does." He slumped, resting his head in his hands. "I shouldn't have let her go alone this morning." He scolded himself.

"This isn't your fault." Cristina tried to reassure him, but panic started to set in at the realisation that this might be the end, "She can't die, and if she does, I can't be here to see it happen." She spoke, looking around for the nearest exit.

"Cristina." Derek looked up, his eyes were red. He reached out to grab her hand.

"She loves you just as much as she loves me. She needs you here. If anything happens, you'd never forgive yourself if you weren't here." He tried to reason with her. "It's been 20 minutes." He sighed, "Ted will surely come and get us soon."

When the clock struck 6, Derek and Cristina were tired of waiting and decided to head back up to the floor. They knew Meredith's room number, so they were only really waiting for Ted to be polite and well behaved.

As they walked the corridor, they heard commotion coming from Ellis' room.

"Charge to 300." Tim yelled, "Clear!" As the doctors and nurses continued to scurry around, Tim's loud voice sounded out instructions and medicinal orders. "Don't give up!" He yelled at Ellis. "Don't give up on us! Push another round of epi!" Both staring into the room in shock, Cristina managed to snap out of the haze and bolted down the corridor towards Meredith's room. Pushing the door open as fast as she could, she noticed her small frame lying on the bed, covered in tubes. The meek Doctor sitting in the corner looked startled upon Cristina's sudden entrance.

"Are you allowed to be in here?" the intern asked.

"Yes. She's my bestfriend." Cristina replied, ignoring the other doctor's concern. "What's wrong with her?" She asked, desperately.

"Her body has been under a lot of stress, and she's just shut down for a while. It's normal."  
"If she's so fine, why is she covered in wires?!" Cristina almost yelled.

"It's a heart and oxygen monitor, her pulse, an IV because she was dehydrated, and the tube is because her vitals were dropping and we wanted to make sure that she was getting enough oxygen. Her pulse slow and weak, but we'll be here if anything happens." Cristina continued to stare at her friend and hold onto her feet.

_"Mum?"_

_"You shouldn't be here." Ellis told Meredith_

_"Neither should you."_

_"Just keep going." She enunciated, "Don't be a dam." Ellis pulled her into a tight hug, placing her hand on the back of her neck "you are… You are anything but ordinary, Meredith."_

_A single tear fell from Meredith's eye and she gripped her mother, taking comfort in their embrace for what was probably the first time in years. As Ellis began to weep softly, she pushed Meredith away, "Now run. Run."_

Her face began to twitch and soft coughing noises came from her small frame.

"She's chocking." Cristina said, rushing to Meredith's side.

The doctor quickly put down the stack of charts she had on her lap, and put Meredith's bed down. "It's okay." She reassured Cristina, "It's a good thing. It means she's getting stronger." Slowly taking out the tube, Meredith smacked her lips a few times, but her eyes remained closed.

Cristina pulled up the chair so it was next to her bed. The only noises interrupting the silence were the soft beeps of the heart monitor and the noise of Dr Moranna's pen scratching across the paper. Cristina turned when she heard the door open behind her. A distraught Derek, his usually neat appearance and relaxed and happy nature had been swapped for a worried and hunched character. Behind him stood Ted, who, although he tried to hide it, looked like a train wreck.

"Thanks, Dr Moranna. You can go now." Ted nodded, quietly. She collected up her files and ducked out of the door quietly.

"Ellis is dead." Derek whispered to Cristina, who stared back at him, before turning back to look at Meredith.

"Meredith." Cristina addressed her. "You have to wake up. When you're ready, you need to wake up, okay? We're here waiting, just please get better." She squeezed her hand.

"I'll give you two a moment. Sorry I didn't make it back to the cafeteria, but something obviously came up…"

"Thanks." Derek whispered, and watched Ted leave. Flanking her on either side, they sat in silence, watching her. Her chest slowly rising and falling. Her face was pale but calm. So drawn in by the situation, the whole room faded away until Meredith began to stir, muttering small noises.

"Mer?" Cristina shot up, standing over her bed. Meredith continued to speak odd syllables. "Meredith, you can do this. Just form a word." She urged her. Nothing seemed to be working. Cristina stopped fussing and placed her hands on either side of her face. "Your brain works." Cristina told her sternly. Cristina was trying to will away the symptoms of a brain bleed.

"Come on, Meredith." Derek encouraged her.

"…Ouch." She whispered, slightly opening her eyes. Tears filled Cristina's eyes, and Derek breathed out a large sigh of relief.

"You're back." He grinned, leaning in really close to her, pressing a light kiss on her cheek. Her lips formed a small smile, and her eyes continued to flutter for a few minutes, her only whispering short sentences in return.

XOX

Meredith was transferred into a low-intensive care room, and after a brief meeting with Ted offering them the last few days off, but declining, Derek stood in the doorway of her room, watching her as she peacefully slept. She awoke and noticed him standing in the doorway. A slight smile stretched across his face as she acknowledged his presence.

"Hey." He whispered.

"Hey." Her small frame was engulfed by thick, dark blue blankets and pillows. He entered the room slowly, with his hands in his pockets, his eyes heavy from exhaustion and stress. He leant over and kissed her cheek again. She smiled lightly in return, and exhaled, looking up into his eyes. He breathed out, trying to organise his thoughts and decide on the best way to tell Meredith the news of her mother's death. He didn't want to overload her, or worry her any more than she already would be.

"Meredith…" He started, but she interjected before he could finish.

"My mother's dead, isn't she?"

He looked up from her gaze, and blinked a few times. An expression of confusion spread across his face. "Yes..." He whispered.

"It's okay. I think." She told him, as he took a seat next to her. She adjusted her head on the pillow, turning slightly to face him. "I think it's okay."

"Thanks for fighting." He told her, rubbing his thumb along her cheekbone.

"I'm not finished just yet." She shook her head slightly, closing her eyes. She sunk further into the pillow. As she drifted off again, her fingers intertwined with Derek's, she knew that her mother had only gotten angry because she didn't understand that you could be determined and extraordinary, as well as in love. She didn't get the chance like Meredith did.


	35. Conclusion and Next Step

**The final part of this little story line for a while. We'll be heading back to college, next! Hope you have a great week, and thanks for the love!**

"Mer!" Everyone cheered as she stepped through the front door of the house, Derek closely behind. "It's so good to see you." As each person hugged her tightly and she felt as if she were about to burst.

"We're so glad you're okay." Arizona smiled, her blue eyes shining.

"It's so good to have you back." Mark pulled her into a tight hug. "He wouldn't have been able to go on." Mark laughed, nodding at Derek.

"We're really sorry about your Mum, too." Lexie said quietly, rubbing Meredith's arm before hugging her.

Meredith wasn't sure she was comfortable with the amount of human contact with her friends, but it was nice to know that they all cared.

"We thought that tonight we could cook a nice dinner in honour of your mother." Callie suggested. Meredith though for a moment and let out a quiet laugh.

"It's a nice idea, but, if you really wanted to do something for my mother, I'd be a stiff drink, take out and a surgical tape."  
"… or we could do that." Hunt laughed. "I'm sure that could be arranged."

Three hours later, they all squished onto the couches with two opened bottles of vodka in front of them, a chopping board of lemon and lime slices and several open aluminium containers of food and plates. Meredith had spent the afternoon with Cristina digging through the attack, sorthing through mountains of paperwork, old chats and videos. The had narrowed down their options to her mother's first solo surgery and the first ever_ Grey method _surgery. These tapes were a small piece of history in the surgery world. Meredith also brought down several pyloplasties to get them through the rest of the night. After serving out the food, Meredith clutched her tall glass, raising it for a toast,

"To Ellis Grey. A pioneering female surgeon."

"To Dr Grey!" Everybody replied, before taking a swill of the contents. Most of them coughed and laughed a few times after the first gulp, but as the night went on, they became less phased by strong taste and a lot happier that they had survived their first two weeks of hospital based training. Alcohol warmed their bodies, and soon, leading to many a steamy activity.

XOX

"So… You didn't come to bed last night…" Mark stated, raising his eyebrows at Derek.

"Well, if _that_ doesn't make us sound like a couple…" Derek replied, trying to sequester Mark's curiosity. This wasn't a conversation he wanted to have with Mark, as the rest of the group would know his secrets within minutes. Mark tried to urge Derek to continue by bumping his shoulder a few times.

"What are you talking about?" Jackson asked lightly as he walked into the kitchen, pulling a slice of bread from the loaf and dropping it into the toaster.

"Nothing." Derek replied firmly, staring at Mark, lips pursed.

Mark shrugged his shoulders and shook his head when Jackson frowned.

"Mark obviously knows something." Jackson laughed, "What is it?"

"Mark knows _nothing_. Now, can we drop it please?" Derek asked, "It's going to rain this afternoon, do you want to come for a run before the others get up?"

Jackson's toast popped and he grabbed a knife from the draw and the jar of jam from the fridge. He dragged his knife across before throwing it into the sink, stuffing the slice into his mouth. "I'll be down in 5."

Derek watched Jackson jog from the room and up the stairs, before turning back to Mark,

"If you say one more word…" Derek told Mark, "I'll tell Mum about all that sexual tension between you and Lexie and then she'll get all inquisitive and she will make you bring her around for dinner to meet her."

"Fine!" Mark backed down, holding his hands in the air. "But for the record, well done, mate. Pleased for ya."

Derek just shook his head and laughed, taking his drink bottle from the bench and filling it up.

XOX

As Meredith sleepily descended the stairs the next morning, and all eyes turned to her as she entered the kitchen.

"Good morning." Callie smiled, "There's fresh coffee in the pot."

"Something looks different about you, Mer." George stated, looking a bit confused.

"I see that too." Arizona agreed, holding her cup of coffee in her hands, standing behind Callie.

Mark kicked Derek under the table and Derek glared back in warning. Noone really noticed their interaction, but the glace wasn't lost on everyone. Cristina caught on and immediately and pushed Meredith into the kitchen.

"You and Hairproducts?!" She interrogated her in a loud whisper.

Meredith's eyes darted a few times before her brain caught up, "What?" She questioned.

"Don't you even try to lie to me." Cristina warned her.

"…Fine. Yeah, we did. We were drunk. He took advantage… and I took advantage… We both took advantage…" She rambled.

"I knew it!" She hissed, victoriously, "Was he good?" Cristina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Cristina!" Meredith shrieked quietly, but Cristina continued to stare at her. "…Would you expect anything else?" She caved, giggling at the memories.

"You don't regret it?" Cristina asked her seriously.

"No, of course not." Meredith replied, pulling out a plate for her toast. "He's… Derek." Meredith sighed almost contently, but she screwed up her face when she realised how pathetic she sounded.

"Well one things for sure, he is utterly in love with you." Cristina shrugged. "If I've learnt anything over the past few days, it's that. As well as the fact that you are bloody good at hiding things."

"I think it's mutual." Meredith replied under her breath as she pulled out the peanut butter from the fridge. "He makes me feel so…" She couldn't finish the sentence, but just smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"In that case, I'm happy for you." Cristina replied, standing next to her friend, staring out of the kitchen window. "You two are made for each other."

"You're still my person." Meredith reminded her. "Still my soulmate."

"I'm glad." Cristina smirked. "Now, fix your hair and come and sit down before they all realise and want to 'awww' about it."

XOX

"Stop hovering, Derek." Meredith scolded him, not looking up from her notes. She had seated herself diagonally across from Cristina who was studying away at the dining room table.

"I'm not hovering…" Derek weakly defended himself, sliding into the chair at the head of the table. "It's just…"

"There's no 'just', I'm fine." She monotonously reassured him, flicking over the page in her text book. "I shouldn't have even mentioned it to you. The headache is tiny. It's probably just stress… Or, you know, the fact I _hit my head on the ground_ the other day? I'm good."

"Mer… So much has happened that I'm ju-"

"I'm not happy, I'm not sad. Not up or down. I'm neutral. I'm Switzerland. I make good watches." She cut him off. His supportive nature made him want to watch over her to make sure she didn't fall apart, and if she did he'd be there, but she couldn't stand him hovering. "I'm not about to break." She reassured him, "A lot of stuff has changed within the past few days, but it's not all bad, okay?" She placed her hand on top of his and looked at him, hoping he would catch her drift, "So you've got to trust me now when I say that I am _fine_. Why don't you go drop in on your Mum and say hi. I'm sure she's dying to see you."

He nodded, "I'll do my best to keep her from dropping in to see _you_."

"Tell her I'll call her tomorrow night."

"Bye," he kissed the top of her head as he left the room.

"Thank goodness. I thought he'd never leave me alone again." Meredith sighed.

"He's just worried that you're about to nearly die again. Especially after last night…"

Meredith just rolled her eyes and laughed at her friend, "I'm not about to die again, and you mention last night to anyone, and you're dead."

Cristina smirked, "So, you and his Mum are close?"

"Yeah, no, kinda… She's really lovely. When I snuck off to see Mum once, she found me in the supermarket buying canned soup and the next thing I know I'm sitting at her dining table eating cheesecake, drinking red wine and studying transmission routes. She's so comfortable and strong, and she's an incredible cook."

"Mummy 2.0?"

"Mmm." Meredith agreed with a smirk.

"So the next day, I went to go see Mum again and I came home to find three frozen meals on my doorstep with a note that they were 'just leftovers'. No chance they were leftovers, but, I don't know. She kinda taught me that it was nice to have someone who cares."

"I care, but I can't cook." Cristina reminded her as she continued to read from her textbook.

"We all know I can't either, so it's no issue." Meredith told her friend, both accepting and reciprocating her statement.

XOX

"Derek!" His mother beamed, pulling him into a tight hug. "You look different."

"It's probably exhaustion." He smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm great now that you're here, Derek." She returned, rubbing his forearm. "You've been back for over two weeks and it's only the second time I've heard from you." She frowned, "and I haven't even heard from Mark!"

"We just had a big two weeks, that's all. A lot has happened." He nodded, stepping into the kitchen, grabbing a tall glass of water.

"Did you enjoy your placement?"

"Um… Yeah. I did." He shrugged. It wasn't the placement that had made him feel uneasy, it was the ordeal with Meredith and her mother that had really stuck in his mind.

"You don't seem very certain…"

"As I said, a lot has happened."

"I hope this isn't to do with Meredith." She warned, "If you have hurt that girl in anyway…" Carolyn frowned.

"I haven't hurt her!" He quickly told her, holding his hands up. "It's just…" Derek considered avoiding the whole story but he knew sooner or later his mother would find out and clip him around the ear for not telling her sooner. He sighed, "Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"Of course I do." Carolyn reassured him, taking a seat at the breakfast bar.

He placed his glass down on the table and breathed out, arranging his thoughts into a coherent story.

"Well, it stems from that day in Spring Break when Meredith didn't turn up here for lunch…"

"Just let me interrupt here. I need to confirm something. You haven't said anything you out of spite, and now she's hurt and angry? Because you do have a tendency to do that." She told him straight up.

"No!" He denied. "We're still together. More since last night than ever." _Damn it, Derek. Shouldn't have said that. _His mother raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Don't repeat that to anyone, please?" He pleaded as he knew that his mother had seen right through him.

"I won't." She smiled, rearranging the fruit in the fruit bowl, "but continue your story."

"Okay, well, over the past week, this whole story has fallen into place. In the Spring Break, Meredith had to move her mother into an Alzheimer's residence because her mental state had declined so severely, but Meredith was told not to tell anyone anything. Since then, she's been making trips back every few weeks when something has gone wrong to fix everything. She snuck out and didn't tell me, Ma. I could have helped…"

"It's a lot of a young girl to handle, you have to understand that. If she told you, she might have been worried how someone else on the outside would take it." Carolyn offered, "Keep going, though."

"Then a few weeks later we received our placement locations and she was obviously worried about being sent here, as Gen, turns out, is where her mother worked for her whole life. Which explains why she didn't want to go to Gen at Christmas when her appendix burst… Everyone high up knew Meredith. It was a bit strange… She was embarrassed and tried to hide it, but then her mother was admitted on Tuesday, yelling blue murder. The whole story just spilled out, and now everyone knows. Ellis was in a state and yelled at Meredith to leave her alone and to stop following her about and told her how ordinary she was and what a disappoint she is, because she hasn't chosen her specialty and she said that she was happy because of me."

Carolyn bit her lip to stop her from reaching for her keys to go and see Meredith to offset the pain.

"It gets worse. So, Meredith spent the day hiding in a filing room in the dark, and when I went and found her, she spilt out her entire life. Her dad left when she was 5, her mum tried to kill herself in front of her, and she had to deal with pretty much on her own, and then that made her in charge of everything… She looked so heart broken. I told her that I loved her and that only made her cry more. I told her that I'd never leave, and we had a joke and she seemed to pick up a bit."

Carolyn nodded to reassure him that she was keeping up.

"That night she couldn't sleep, so she came and lay with me but she had a nightmare that she was drowning and then she said that she just gave up and it was so much easier. The next day," Derek rubbed his forehead, "It was awful. Cristina and I got called into the boardroom and interrogated on Meredith's medical history. Yang is like Meredith's other half. We didn't know what was going on, so we obviously expected the worst. Dr Barteith is an old friend of Ellis, and he's known Mer since she was born and he had found her unconscious in her mother's room. Cristina said that Ellis had yelled at Meredith again and called her a huge disappointment."

"Go on," Carolyn urged.

Derek paused to let his brain catch up, "Then, Ted left us with Sharon and then Sharon had to go, so we were left with this intern and we snuck away and I may have yelled at Ellis… but then we went back and Ted sent us to get dinner and told us we could see Mer afterwards, but we didn't know what was going on, so we did as we were told, but we then ran away again and Ellis had a heart attack and died, but Mer was still unconscious and her pulse was still slow and irregular and she was nearly giving up… But she came to and just as I was about to tell her about her mother, she told me. She knew… So she came home last night and we all 10 of us together and had a drink or two, ate takeout and watched a surgical tape in her honour, but I am still worried about Meredith. Her mother just died, and she says she's 'fine'.

"Wow." Carolyn replied. "That's a lot to take in."

"Mmm." Derek agreed, "I'm almost scared to leave her alone now. I just want to know that she's okay."

"Derek, you've got to trust that if she says she's fine, she is."  
"She told me to come and see you because I was hovering and it was annoying her." He laughed.

"Smart girl." Carolyn nodded. "You can have lunch with me today. I haven't seen you in a long time and you need to leave her to be for a while. She knows you're here for her, she knows you love her and no doubt she feels the same."  
"She told me so." Derek beamed like a little kid on Christmas. His mother let out a quiet laugh at his sheer happiness for this girl in his life.

"Then you're fine. It's still sad to hear about Ellis though… Rest in peace and Gold bless."

"Neither. And her Dad! I just assumed they'd divorced and she didn't see him much, but the fact he left when she was five and just never came back?" Derek was shocked, but his mother's expression wasn't. "… You don't seem shocked by that. Why aren't you as surprised as I am?"

"She told me, a while back about that." Carolyn admitted.

"When?" Derek asked, confused that his mother hadn't told him.

"When she came home one time, I saw her in the supermarket and I invited her over for dinner because all she had in her basket was a can of soup and instant noodles. Nance and Kath had cancelled, so, I cooked, we chatted and ate together, she studied here for a few hours and headed home. She told me."  
"But, you never said?"

"It was between me and her. She trusted me enough to tell me, and I didn't want to break that. She told you when the time was right."

"She's had such a hard life." He stated again, still flabbergasted by the news.

"More horror than she has deserved." Carolyn agreed. "Tell her that I send my love, and before you go, I'll whip up a batch of cookies for you to take back."

Derek laughed at his mother's offer, knowing she was fully serious. "She said she'd call you tomorrow."

"I'll look forward to it." Carolyn smiled. She was glad that she had gotten to know Meredith, but she knew from the first moments that she was close to perfect for Derek.

Carolyn stood from her tall stool and pulled Derek's face down to kiss him on the temple. "You're a good man, Derek." He smiled sadly in return and rested his head on her shoulder. "I miss you when you're gone."

"I miss you too." He admitted.

"And Mark."

"… I see too much of him, too frequently, to miss him when he's gone." Derek laughed.

"Has he managed to pull a stable girlfriend yet?" Carolyn inquired.

Derek just laughed in return, "That's for him to say… Ask him next time you see him, but don't tell him I said anything."

Carolyn just smirked as she turned on the oven, and leant into the corner cupboard to pull out the glass mixing bowls. "For Meredith, chocolate chip or macadamia?" Carolyn asked.

"Do you even need to ask?" He replied, raising an eyebrow. Taking the seat his mother had been sitting in, he chatted as he prepared three trays with baking paper and watched as she skilfully and quickly whipped up three dozen cookies with love. "One dozen of chocolate for Meredith, one dozen apricot and almond for you, and one dozen for the drive home. Tell Mark that if he wants food, he needs to show up."

"He will be devastated." Derek laughed.

"I'll make him another batch. You can hide them just to see his reaction." Carolyn winked.

As the next few hours flew by, Derek enjoyed the quiet bonding time with his mother. Growing up, they didn't spend much time alone as all of his sisters were always around, but as they had all moved out, Derek enjoyed coming home to see her. She always knew exactly what to say to make him feel better, and he knew that even if he didn't like what she said, she was right. Mothers are always right, well, mothers like Carolyn.

XOX

It was dark by the time Derek pushed open the glass door to Meredith's house. He peered into both of the rooms adjoining the hall as he took off he slid off his shoes and left his key and phone on the small table by the door. He noticed Meredith sitting against the arm of the couch, her legs up on the cushion. He looked around for Cristina, but the house was silent. She looked exhausted and sad. Derek decided he would take the first step.

"Two guys shot my dad for his watch. My mom saved up for it. Two guys came into his store and they shot him because he wouldn't give it up. That's how my dad died." He told her as he sat down on the couch next to her.

"I'm sorry." She replied, rubbing his hand. She looked at him sadly, rearranging her feet in the couch. "I miss my mum." She admitted. "I don't miss her moods or her judgement, but I do miss _her_. I miss what I wanted her to be, and I am deeply sad I won't ever get that. Just a bad week all around, I guess."

"Wish I could make things better for you."

"I wish you could too." She smiled at him sadly.

"I try to think what Cristina would do in a situation like this. I don't know." Derek shrugged, wanting to help out. He craned his neck to try and see further into the hall or behind them in the room, "where is she?"

"Owen dropped in this afternoon and they went out for dinner. I assured them you'd be home soon, and you'd cook for me…" She replied with a small smile, hoping he would agree.

"Sure." He agreed, kissing her on the forehead. "But not until you tell me how Cristina would make you feel better."

"Well, she would turn the music up pretty loud to dance it out with me. But I don't think you wanna go there…."

"Ha." Derek breathed out, smiling, standing from the couch. "Well…" He walked over to the stereo, pushing a few buttons the room was filled with music. She watched from the couch in shock, as Derek began to woot encouragingly, pulling off his jacket and tossing it next to Meredith.

"Yeah! Look out! Hit it!"

She head dropped back into the couch as she giggled at his dancing.

"Get your ass over here, I'm not doing this by myself." He urged her, smiling. She slapped her hand over her eyes as she continued to laugh as he pulled faces at her and continued to pull out silly dance moves around the room. She finally conceded and began to bop around next to him. His enthusiasm was infectious.

"There you go!" He encouraged, smiling warmly at her. As he jumped around behind her, she continued to watch him, and smiled. After a few attempts to get her to join him he stopped and tilted his head to the side a smiled warmly. Reaching out, he played his hang on her waist, pulling her in. He brushed her soft curls away from her face and kissed her lightly. Spinning her around, he pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms across her chest and swayed back and forth for a while. She squeezed his arms tightly and leaned back into his chest. She was really glad she had him.

When the song ended, he kissed her neck again and loosened his lock around her shoulders.

"Cook or takeout?" He asked.

"Probably should finish the food in the cupboards before tomorrow morning…"

"It'll be a Surprise Chef." He smiled, taking her hand. They wandered into the kitchen and Meredith sat at the kitchen island as Derek inspected the cupboards and fridge pulling out the remaining food, combining them into bowls to reheat. Rummaging through the pantry he pulled his head back out,

"How's Shepherd's Pie? I've got potatoes and meat… and vegetables."

"Is that your signature dish?" She asked.

"Sure." He nodded. "It _is_ named after me, you know."

She shook her head and let out a small laugh, "What ever you say, Derek."

He nodded enthusiastically and continued to combine the ingredients. Her eyes followed his actions and they discussed the upcoming work, and the conversation shifted to Derek's family.

"Oh!" He exclaimed, wiping his hands on the teatowel and darting out of the room.  
"What?" She called after him, swivelling around on her chair following him with her eyes. "Derek?" She yelled after him.

He returned to the room holding four stacked plastic containers. "Mum sent you this." He held out the top container packed with biscuits.

"Oh, Derek." She accepted the container and tears began to form in her eyes, wiping them with the back of her hand, she cracked open the container and took out the first biscuit. Seeing the emotion rising, he hugged her from behind. "We're your official family now, okay? And that comes with baked goods."

She nodded, "Can we go see your mother after dinner?"

"Sure." He smiled, kissing her cheek.


	36. Study Break

**It's been a while, but it's summer in some parts of the world- so that means, long break! Hopefully more updates too. Just a cute filler for now. I hope you enjoy it!**

"You all seem stressed." Mark commented as he wandered into the study room at their college.

"Mark. We have an exam in 46 hours that's worth 70% of our grade." Lexie barked, frowning, "I don't get how you're _not_ stressed."

Missing Mark's entry to the room, Meredith looked up and stated her most recent realisation, "Chapter 4, section 12. It's LPAC."

"What on earth is LPAC?" Cristina asked, looking up from her book, the green highlighter still poised in her grip.

"The order of steps. L- P- A- C."

"Good one!" Lexie agreed, quickly scribbling it down in her book.

"Lexie Pashed A…. Corpse." Meredith rambled, trying to suggest of an appropriate mnemonic device.

"Or Pashed A Cutie? Or Patted A Cat? Did you really have to go with 'Corpse'?" She shuddered.

"Sorry. I'm mind has gone a little dark…" Meredith apologised.

"Dark and twisty." Lexie smirked.

"You all need to take a break." Mark told them, spinning around a chair at the table and sitting on it.

"No breaks." Meredith denied, not looking up from her work. "No breaks for 49 hours. Too much to learn. Excellence takes hard work."

"No, excellence takes _breaks_." Mark tried to remind them, but noone replied, too engrossed in their books. The door creeked open as Derek entered, book bag hanging from his shoulder.

"Wow. They haven't moved since I left an hour ago." He observed.

"And they don't plan on moving for 46 hours apparently." Mark dobbed.

"That's just not healthy… Plan A?" Derek suggested.

"Plan A, it is. I'll ring Hunt." Mark nodded eagerly, standing to leave the room. Derek pulled his phone from his pocket and they both stood by the door and exchanged information in no louder than a whisper.

"What ever 'Plan A' means," Cristina called out to them, not making eye contact, "We're not interested."

"Too busy." Lexie added.

"Come back in 49 hours." Meredith told him.

"Lexie looks like she's about to explode!" Derek rebutted, trying to prove his point.

"She's fine." Meredith reassured Derek, flicking back over the previous pages in her notebook, "and she'd be even more fine if she could keep studying without you annoying us…"

"Ha. You can't get rid of me that easily," He laughed.

Meredith looked up and gave him a sarcastic smile. "Fine. Stay. We love having you here."

Derek gave her a smug smile, and walked back to the table confidently. "I will." He sat down across her, and stared at her smiling. "Nah… I'm bored." He shrugged after sitting for less than a minute, "I'll be back in three hours and you _will_ be taking a break. No buts."

Silence fell upon the room again as they each fell back into their world of study,, when Derek entered the room again four hours later, he was shocked that they had barely moved

"You girls realise that the dining hall closes in 10 minutes, right? Unless you're hiding secret stashes of food, this may pose a problem…"

"Is it already 7?" Lexie gasped.

"Okay, eat then back here." Cristina agreed, slamming shut her textbook. "Come on Mer," She ordered, dragging Meredith by her arm of the room. Derek just laughed and rolled his eyes. He had been mulling over ideas of how to get the girls out of the room and into his car but he hadn't thought of anything. He looked around the room, and then realised. He ran to their floor warden's room, devising a plan.

XOX

"You've obviously _not_ pushing the door hard enough, or it'd open!" Cristina scolded Lexie, pushing past her. "Move."

Cristina groaned as the banged the door handle down a few times and tried pushing the door. "It's locked."

"Mmm. Yeah." Lexie agreed, frowning at Cristina, "I could have told you that."

"I didn't even know you could lock these doors…" Meredith sighed. She leant back onto the wall. She just wanted to sleep.

"I thought you three would be studying!" Derek called down the hall as he wandered towards them with his hands in his pockets.

"Doors locked." Meredith yawned, leaning into Derek's chest. In a moment of weakness, she closed her eyes. Instantly regretting her decision, she felt herself starting to slip away as exhaustion had started to take over her body. He pulled her into a hug and looked at the other two. "I think I can help. Grab your coats and come with me." "Why would you helping involve my coat?" Cristina asked bluntly.

"Derek, please…" Meredith asked. "We've got a lot to get through, and we're exhausted… We don't need you to be distracting us."

"I am the voice of reason here. Look at yourselves. You three need to take a break. Mer, you're basically falling asleep on me. Get your jackets and come with me."

"187 people sat this exam last year, and 82 failed. 82, Derek. 10 of those 82 admitted to not having studied. 47, however, said that they did not do enough of the course readings through out the semester. A further 30 suggested that it was the lack of journal references they had memorised. Those aren't good odds." Lexie rambelled. "I will not be one of those 43.8% that fails. The pass rate for this course has steadily decreased over the past 4 years, you know? It peaked back in 2003 at 82%, but it's been decreasing ever since… Well, except for 2007, where it increased by 3%, but the IQ average was 6.7 points higher… There's a trend. I don't want to follow the trend." She was tying herself up in her words.

"Lexie is rambelling statistics," Derek warned Meredith and Cristina, "When Lexie rambles statistics, it means that she's exhausted and she needs to take a break."

"This entire subject is based on statistical analysis. Lexipaedia and statistics is a good thing." Cristina replied, trying to shoot Derek's reasoning down. "We just need to get it unlocked!"

"The floor warden is on leave tonight… Campus maintenance will have a key." Derek suggested. He had organised for the room to be locked, bribing their warden with a bottle of Mark's vodka. Derek knew full well that the warden was not on leave, but hoped that he would be able to get the girls out to the parking lot and into his car before they realised.

"Come on… Derek's offering to drive, and I'm too tired to walk." Meredith conceded, laying her hand flat on Derek's chest. Derek grinned at how easily he could make Meredith cave.  
"Grab your jackets and I'll meet you in the parking lot." Derek nodded, trying to look serious. Mark and Owen had already begun with plan, and were waiting. He just had to hold up his end of the deal.

XOX

"Derek. Where are we going?" Meredith demanded as he turned the car in the opposite direction, heading out onto the main road. She twisted her body in the front seat to face him. "Derek." She said again, trying to coax the information from him.

"Just give me two hours of your time, and you'll thank me for it later." He replied.

"We don't have two hours." Cristina exasperatedly moaned from the backseat.

"You need to make time to have fun and let your hair down once in a while."  
"We do."

"Something that doesn't _always_ involve drinking." Derek frowned. "Exercise and fresh air. And socialising." Derek continued, "For three girls with boyfriends, you hardly seem to see them much."  
"Study is more important," Cristina countered.  
"I'll be sure to let Owen know that you said that." Derek laughed. His lighthearted mood was a strange juxtaposition to the dark cloud forming above the other three. Meredith let out a stressed sigh before flopping her head back on the head rest and closing her eyes.

"Lexie, you understand that sometimes you need to take a break," Derek offered, "Mark is there already and waiting. You know he's crazy about you…" He turned his head so he could see the road, and still look back at her. She suffered for a few moments, unsure of what to say, before she finally agreed.

"I know…"  
"Good!" Derek grinned. "And Mer?" He called, turned to look over at her. She opened her eyes and met his eager expression, "I haven't seen you in two weeks because you've been studying the whole time. I miss you."

The hardened expression on her face melted away as he offered his hand away from the gear stick. "It'll be fun." He jollied, squeezing her hand, "and I'll have you back within two hours."

"Fine…" She caved in.

XOX

As Derek pulled the car into a small gravel carpark, Meredith looked around for a clue as to where he had taken them.

"Alright! Everybody out." Derek announced as he switched off the ignition and swung the door open. He walked to the boot of the car and pulled out a small dufflebag crammed full, its contents rattling around inside. "Follow me!" He called, heading off in the direction of a tall lamp post. As he walked past Meredith, he slid his hand around hers, urging her to walk with him. Lexie trailed behind, and Cristina continued to scowl.

They traipsed up a rocky path eroded by the rain of the past few weeks to a clearing, encasing a large green baseball pitch illuminated by flood lights. Mark and Owen were hanging around the home plate, Owen swinging the bat around in one hand, as Mark leant back on the fence with a beer in his hand. Hearing the noises in the distance, they both turned they attention to their new guests.

"It'll be fun." Derek reassured them again, standing back to let Lexie and Cristina through first, ensuring that they didn't make a run for it. Owen dropped the bat and walked over to meet the others. Cristina still looked displeased by the whole situation, but that didn't dampen Owen's spirits. He walked up next to her and tried to encourage a smile, but it never came. Mark did the same with Lexie, but at the very least, she had accepted what was about to come, so she let out a breath of air and turned to Mark,

"I love baseball." She smiled a forced smile.

"Me too." Mark agreed. He was glad that she was trying to enjoy herself.

"I don't have time for this, we should be studying." Cristina moaned again.

"We're not going to talk about studying. We're here to play baseball." Derek stated, pushing his worn mitt onto his hand, punching it in a few times.

"I'm sorry. I'm leaving." Cristina rolled her eyes and tried to walk away.

"Woah." Owen stood in front of her, blocking her path back to the car. "You need this." He pushed the helmet onto her head and handed her the bat. She continued to protest, but he managed to get her into position before she could make headways to leave again.

"Just hit the ball." Owen commanded, pointing the remote at the batting machine. Derek crouched down behind her, reading to play catcher. As a ball shot towards her, she screamed and yelled, causing Lexie to choke on the swig of Mark's beer she had just taken. He laughed at the sight and handed Meredith an unopened bottle. She smiled in appreciation and twisted off the cap, taking a swill as she watched Cristina getting unnecessarily angry at the whole situation.

"What are you trying…" Cristina yelled.

"You need to stop thinking about what's going to happen, and start focusing on what is right in front of you. Now. HIT THE BALL." Owen yelled. Cristina finally accepted her place, and when the next ball sped towards her, she met it with her bat, sending the ball soaring into the dark sky. She watched in shock for a second, before realising and she began cheering and yelling in happiness.

"I did it! I hit it!" She yelled, and was met with a hug from Meredith, she passed off the bat to Lexie, still screaming in celebration. Mark placed her helmet on Lexie's head, and she approached the plate, stretching out her arms, ready for the swing,

"Here we go, Little Grey." Derek urged, preparing for the hit. As she wound up and smacked the ball, it whistled through the air into the outfield, and Lexie beamed in happiness, jumping back and landing in Mark's arms.

Meredith just watched on and laughed, her eyes meeting Derek's. She mouthed 'thank you' before turning back to an excited Cristina who was still on a high from the perfect moment prior.

At that point, Derek knew that he had done the right thing, and caught eyes with Owen who had realised the same thing. They both nodded at each other, before bringing in the party to where the other four were standing via the cooler. It was a perfect success.


	37. Pre-Birthday

**It's been a while, hey! Sorry about that. I'm on break now, so, hopefully a few more updates!  
Hope you're all still interested!**

"When's our next test?" Meredith asked Derek, stretching back in her chair. Her earphones fell as she yawned and let her chair rock back onto two legs. He looked up from his text book and thought for a moment. They had been studying in silence for close to two hours and he had to adjust his thinking back to the immediate world.

"Week after next, maybe?"

"Thank goodness." She exhaled, letting the chair drop back onto all four legs.

He wasn't quite sure how to reply to her relief. He knew they were all happy for the break between assessment, but she seemed overly relieved for an academically gifted student.

"... Not understanding the content matter?" He questioned, taking a swig from his water bottle.

"It's more the boredom factor. If it's next week, I can invite you out tonight and not feel guilty that I'm not studying."

Even though he laughed at her reply, he knew exactly how she felt. Even if she was sitting in her room at night not studying, it somehow made you feel less guilty that being out with friends. "So, how bout it?" She asked, shutting her textbook.

"How about what?" He asked, playing dumb to her invitation.

"Would you, Derek Shepherd, like to come out with me, Meredith Grey, tonight?"

"Hmmm..." He pretended to think really hard. "I'm not sure how my girlfriend would feel about that..." He trailed off.

Meredith decided to play along, looking serious for a moment, "She says it's fine."

"That's lucky." He agreed, "because I probably couldn't say no."

She beamed, slammed her text book shut and stacked her books on top. "It's coffee time." She announced. "You in?"

"Of course." He laughed, closing his books and sliding them into his bag.

"Maybe food too. I didn't get lunch."

"If I'm paying for dinner tonight, though, why are you eating?" Derek asked, holding open the door for Meredith as they stepped out into the courtyard. A cool breeze tostled her hair.

"Who said you were paying for dinner?"

"... I always pay for dinner." He replied, grinning.

"Then you should let me pay." She rebutted, even though there was no way she was going to win this one.

"I'm not going to let you pay."

"But you should!" She insisted. "I'm inviting you out. It was my idea. It's not fair if you pay."

"Well," he smiled, throwing his arm over her shoulders pulling her in for a sideways hug as they continued to walk, "it's lucky that I like you then."

"Coffee is on me." She insisted.

"I can settle for that." He nodded, "I need to get to an ATM."

Meredith slumped into the worn red couch at the back of the coffee shop, dropping her bag at her feet.

"I. Am. Exhausted." She gulped from her cup, and dropped her head back onto the headrest.

"Me too." He agreed, dropped his bag against the table leg. "Oh! I forgot to say!" He sat up in the chair, attracting her attention, "It's Mum's birthday in three weeks and I'll be heading home for the weekend. I was wondering if you'd like to come? It's a bit of a big deal this year… Kath talked Mum into a party, and with the size of my family it'll be bigger than Ben Hur… "

She took another drink as she thought, "Yeah… Your family won't mind?"

"Mind?" He laughed, "Fairly sure they love you more than me."

"I'll have to buy her a present." She stated.

"Plenty of time for that. Why don't we head out to the football field and heckle Mark as he trains? He got caught out by the coach for texting during training last night so he has to run 20 laps today in under 45 minutes ."

"That sounds like a lot of fun." She agreed eagerly grinning, pulling her bag onto her back. They headed out to the football field and watched Mark run laps from the bleachers, yelling and hooting at him as he began to look more and more pained by the lactic acid.

"JEALOUS!" He would holler back, flexing his muscles, grinning.

"Did you hear that Mum found out about Lexie?" Derek laughed, spinning his finger around the top of the paper coffee cup.

Meredith just shook her head and laughed. _Poor Mark,_ she thought. At least her meeting the family had been a surprise, so there were no expectations, but Lexie now had to work to gain approval from the family. Lexie was a sweet girl, good grades and a lovely smile, but with Derek and Mark's family, especially his sisters, anything at all could tip the scales and you would be on the bad side.

"So anyway," Derek continued, "Mum found out and rung Mark last night and spent a good 30 minutes interrogating him on the phone. He had to dodge 3 calls this morning from Amy, then another 2 from Kathleen and Liz. Nancy's going to have his ass…" Derek continued to laugh. Meredith felt kind of sorry for him.

"And then, Mum invited her to come to the party!"

"Has Mark asked her yet?" Meredith asked. Even she was even a little nervous about seeing his whole family again, so she couldn't understand how fretful Lexie would be feeling.

"Hasn't summoned up the courage yet, have ya Mark?" Derek yelled out as Mark ran the straight in front of them.

"Stop talking about my private life!" Mark yelled back.

Meredith smirked and slid away from Derek to lie down on the bench. The sun moved from behind a cloud, and illuminated the green field. The days were heating up as it they approached Spring Break, only a few more tests before the week of freedom.

"I should probably also say," Derek started, rubbing his face, hunched over his knees, "It's the 12th anniversary of Dad's passing that weekend…"

"Oh, Derek…" Meredith replied, sitting up and moving closer to him. She leant in to him, and placed her hand on his knee.

"12 was Dad's favourite number. Kath wanted Mum to have her birthday party so we could be happy and also celebrate his life."

"I'm really sorry, Derek."

"We usually go to the cemetery in the morning, and then Mark and I go out to the lake then we have a family dinner, but this year, I really want you to come too. And Lexie, if Mark ever sums up the courage to ask."

"Whatever you want." Meredith offered genuinely. She of all people knew what it was like to lose a parent. She'd done it twice.

XOX

"So, I'm looking forward to next Saturday night." Meredith said light heartedly as she leant back on Derek's bed. She tossed the tennis ball against the wall above the door, catching it in the opposite hand.

"Me too." Derek smiled, looking over to Mark who was sitting against the wall. A look of dread and guilt washed over his face, causing Derek to smirk.

"What's happening next Saturday?" Lexie inquired, playing with her scarf. Her position mirrored Meredith, but across the room on Mark's bed. After breakfast, they'd all wandered back to Mark and Derek's room discussing the latest Anatomy tutorial, but had gotten distracted since.

"You haven't told her yet?" Derek laughed at Mark's guilty expression.

"Told me what?" Lexie asked, hazardously.

Meredith sighed and decided to rip off the bandaid, "It's Carolyn's birthday party," Meredith explained, "Their family found out about you and Mark and now they want to meet you."

"Oh… But, it's only been just over a month." Lexie replied, suddenly looking nervous.

"A month is a miracle for Mark." Derek laughed, and caught Meredith's eye. She smirked at his comment, but it was lost on the other two.

"I was going to tell you tonight…" Mark meekly said, "I was just waiting for the right moment…"

"Oh my goodness, they are going to eat me alive." Lexie stated, her hands starting to shake, "Your sisters are going to _hate_ me."

Derek let out a small laugh as he weighed up the possibilities, "Hmm… No. Well, it's unlikely _all_ of them will hate you. Maybe Nancy… but as I've said many times. Nancy hates everyone."

"Lex, Carolyn welcomed me with open arms when I arrived bloody and bruised on her doorstep. She cooked me dinner when she found me in the supermarket, she looked after me when I vomited in her living room, bathroom _and_ her son's bedroom, she bought me new clothes and visited me for hours when I was in hospital… You of all people… Noone could possibly hate you. You're the perfect girlfriend. You're grades are impeccable, your smile is perfect, you excel in every cocurricular you try. Just be yourself." Meredith reassured her. Lexie looked over at her, and nodded her head. She hadn't wiped the look of terror off her face. "Plus, you'll have me!" Meredith smiled at her warmly, "I'm still a little terrified whenever I walk into that house and the whole family is there… If it gets too scary, we can hide together."

Lexie just nodded, and slowly breathed out, "It'll be great." She forced a smile as Mark shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Derek just shook his head and laughed. He was glad he wasn't meeting the family for the first time.

XOX

"I forgot to mention that it was black tie, didn't I?" Derek cringed, as he sat crosslegged on Meredith's bed, watching her pack.

"Um, yes. You did." Meredith rolled her eyes, "but this time, you're _really_ lucky."

She dug into her wardrobe and grabbed the hanger, holding it out of view. "Shut your eyes." She instructed him.

"Why?"

"Because I said so." She laughed.

He tipped his head back and closed his eyes as she quickly pulled the dress from the cupboard and folded it into her bag, zipping it up.

"Can I open them yet?" he whined.

"Not yet." She instructed, walking over and leaned in so her face was only centimetres from his. "Now. I'm ready to go."

He quickly pecked her lips. "Let's go!"

XOX

When he pulled up her doorstep, she jumped out of the car and grabbed her bag from the backseat. Skipping back to the open window from her front seat, she leaned back in.

"I'll be back in two hours." He told her.

"I'll leave the front door open. Come in when you're ready." She leant out of the window and waved.

He turned his attention back to the road, pulling his sunnies back over his eyes.


End file.
